Maharashtra unit of Janata Dal (U) today protested against the state government's decision to stop tur (pigeon pea) procurement.
The move will adversely affect farmers, especially those from the suicide-prone regions, the party said.
"Last year, the Centre had imported 57 lakh tonne tur dal at a rate of Rs 10,114 per quintal. Our farmers sell the same goods at a rate of Rs 5,050 per quintal. That too has been stopped now. Our farmers are being hoodwinked to benefit international traders," Kapil Patil, state unit chief of JD(U), said in a statement here.
He said to protest the government's move, tur was brought from Amravati, Karmala and Pandharpur areas and sold outside the gates of Mantralaya (the state secretariat) here by party members.
"In just about an hour, 100 kg of tur got sold. Mumbaikars gave a good response to our initiative," Patil said.
Recently, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had demanded increase in the import duty on tur from 10 to 25 per cent to ensure price stability.
He had also requested the Centre to purchase tur that arrived at the procurement centres till April 22.
The Centre had given an extension to tur procurement on the request of the state government but the final extension ended on April 22.
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