Farmers in Nashik, Solapur, Ahmednagar, Pune, Kolhapur and Wardha districts threw milk, foodgrains and vegetables on roads as a part of the protest.
As the farmers' strike in Maharashtra entered the second day, big cities like Mumbai and Pune are facing the threat of shortage of vegetables and milk.
Farmers in Nashik, Solapur, Ahmednagar, Pune, Kolhapur and Wardha districts threw milk, foodgrains and vegetables on roads as a part of the protest. Vehicles carrying vegetables and fruits to Mumbai were stopped and ransacked.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is meeting the farmers' leaders here late tonight.
Arrival of vegetable-carrying trucks at Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC) in neighbouring Navi Mumbai also fell drastically today.
However, supply of milk to the state capital was unaffected. But local traders said Mumbaikars may start feeling the pinch due to shortage of vegetables in a day or two, as vendors in many suburbs and in Navi Mumbai have already hiked rates.
Against 400-500 trucks of vegetables (around 7,000 tonnes) which arrive at Navi Mumbai APMC every day, only 182 trucks reached today. Many transporters avoided bringing veggies to the cities due to threat of violence.
Minister of State for Agriculture Sadabhau Khot said supply of vegetables to Nashik and Pune was affected, but not that to Mumbai.
If needed, government can invoke the Maintenance of Essential Commodities Act, he said.
The agitation continued today in many parts of the state with protesters dumping milk and vegetables on roads.
The 'strike', touted to be first of its kind in the country, the call for which was given by Kisan Kranit Core Committee based in Puntambe village in Ahmednagar district, spread across the state, mainly through social media messages and appeals.
Farmers in the state faced three consecutive droughts before a good monsoon last year. At present they are staring at huge losses as tur daal prices have crashed due to a bumper crop this time.
Opposition Congress, NCP, as well as ruling coalition partner Shiv Sena have supported the agitation, which is mainly for the demand of loan waiver.
"Sena supports the agitation....that farmers resort to such extreme step is the failure of government," Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray said.
In Solapur, farmers dumped milk from a flyover. Sandip Gidde, farmer leader from Puntambe, arrived with his associates in Mumbai late this evening to meet the chief minister.
"I received a call from the CM's office, inviting me to come to Mumbai for talks. We do not want the strike to be stretched as it would affect the farmers themselves. But state government's inaction has badly affected farmers. We want several reforms in agriculture," Gidde told
(This article has not been edited by DNA's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)
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