Farmers say they feel helpless, and worry about their crops going bad. (Representational)
Farmers at several places in the Gwalior-Chambal region of Madhya Pradesh have started protesting over severe shortage of fertilisers.
In Sabalgarh, a municipality in the Morena district of Madhya Pradesh, farmers looted a truck that was carrying fertilisers. The police reached the spot and tried to stop them and even used mild force to stop the loot but the farmers were seen running away with sacks full of fertilisers.
The Morena Lok Sabha constituency is represented by Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Minister of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare.
Farmers in Bhind say they feel helpless, and worry about their crops going bad. They say they have been forced to block traffic to make themselves heard.
The farmers blocked National Highway 719 on Monday after they didn't receive fertilisers. Video clips from the protest action show emotive visuals of a farmer who broke down while narrating his story.
65-year-old Shivcharan Yadav can be seen weeping on camera after he didn't receive the two sacks of fertiliser he had stood in a queue since 4 AM to receive. Mr. Yadav has been struggling to get fertilisers for over 10 days. He says he owns a small piece of land that is his only source of income and he'd struggle for food if he can't sow on time.
This happened in Galla Mandi of Bhind, where over 200 farmers were turned back due to shortage of fertilisers.
In a similar incident on Sunday, sacks of fertiliser were looted from the cooperative warehouse in Saraya village of Ater assembly constituency which is represented by Madhya Pradesh Cooperatives Minister Arvind Singh Bhadoria.
The main cause of discontent is that farmers are asking for the fertiliser Diammonium phosphate (DAP) but the local administration is providing them with Urea because of a shortage. Farmers say they need DAP for the upcoming Rabi season.
Most of the popular fertilisers including DAP have seen a jump of over 50% recently. Experts claim that poor allocation of DAP has put the state under a fertiliser crisis for the ongoing sowing season.