Farmer gets Rs 1,064 for 750 kg of onions, sends it to PM as protest

Maharashtra who had to sell his produce for a little over Rs 1 per kg has sent his earnings to the Prime Minister to mark his protest. Sanjay Sathe, a resident of Niphad tehsil in Nashik, said, "I produced 750 kg of onion this season but was offered a rate of Re 1 per kg at Niphad wholesale market last week.

"I finally negotiated a deal for Rs 1.40 per kg and received Rs 1,064, he said. "It was painful to see such paltry returns on four months of toil. Hence, I have donated it all to the Disaster Relief Fund of the PMO in protest. I had to pay an additional Rs 54 for the money order," he said.

"I do not represent any political party. But I am angry because of the government's apathy towards our woes," he added.

Sathe was among the handful of 'progressive farmers' selected by the Union agriculture ministry for an interaction with the then US president Barack Obama on his visit to India in 2010. Asked about it, he said, "I have been using a voice-based advisory service (run by a telecom operator) for farmers for a long time. I used to call them and get information about weather changes, and thus succeeded in increasing my production."

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