Struggling with agricultural woes, a farmer in Maharashtra who was offered 20 paise per kilogram (kg) for his brinjal production had destroyed the entire plantation on his land to save himself from incurring further losses.
Rajendra Bawake who hails from Sakurai village of Ahmednagar claimed of earning only Rs. 65000 after spending Rs. 2 lakh and putting all his efforts to cultivate the crop. Upset with the low income, the farmer deracinated all brinjal crops from his field and threw them away.
Bawake angrily told, "I had planted brinjal on two acres of land and laid pipes for drip irrigation. I used pesticides, fertilizers and advanced mulching techniques to boost production. The total investment came to around Rs. 2 lakh but in return, I received only Rs. 65 000”.
The farmer said he has to pay Rs. 35000 to the fertilisers and pesticide suppliers and doesn’t know from where he will get that money.
He also claimed that when he tried to sell his produce at the wholesale markets in Surat and Nashik, he could get only 20 paise per kg.
The upset farmer rears three cows at home and needs money to buy fodder for them. He hoped to earn some money from brinjal farming, but now don't know how to take care of his cattle.
Last week, an onion-grower from Nashik who obtained Rs. 1064 for 750 kg of onions had sent all his earnings to Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a mark of protest.
