Madhya Pradesh: Failing to fetch proper prices, farmer sets garlic produce ablaze, ‘didn't get fair price’

Bhopal: A young farmer in Madhya Pradesh frustrated over not getting a fair price for his produce vented out his anger by burning 160 kg garlic at an open auction in Mandsaur, about 350 km from state capital Bhopal.

The young farmer named Shankar Sirfira from Deoli was forced to take the extreme step after he tried to sell his produce to wholesale traders at the Mandsaur Mandi. The video of the farmer shouting ‘Jai Jawan Jai Kisan’ (Lengthy reside farmer) after setting the massive produce on fireplace has been extensively shared on social media.

Fortunately, the alert Mandi staff, and other farmers doused the fire promptly, preventing any further damage inside the premises.

“I spent Rs 5,000 on transporting the garlic produce here but was getting Rs 1100 only from the buyers. It was better to burn the produce, if it wasn’t worth getting proper price,” Shankar Sirfira said at the YD Nagar police station in Mandsaur district. “I spent Rs 2.5 lakh on cultivating garlic this season but have only got Rs 1 lakh in the market,” he said.

Notably, garlic doesn’t figure in the list of crops, which are covered under the minimum support price (MSP) regime.

According to the secretary of the Mandaur Cooperative Agriculture Produce Mandi, Parbat Singh, since garlic isn't covered by the MSP regime, it is sold by farmers in the Mandi through the open auction system to traders.

The farmer was brought to the police station for questioning but Jitendra Pathak, In-charge YD Nagar, police station, said, “Since no damage was caused by the fire to produce of other farmers, hence no case has till now been lodged against the concerned farmer.”