(Written by Aditya Swaminathan)
Nearly 10 lakh people, most of them farmers and workers hailing from rural parts of Maharashtra, participate in the annual palkhi processions of Sant Dnyaneshwar Maharajah and Sant Tukaram Maharaj.
On Saturday, as the processions moved amid loud chants of ‘Dnyanba Tukram’, some of the farmer warkaris shared stories of farmer suicides in their villages.
Prakash Kokate, a farmer from Osmanbad in Marathwada district, said, “In the last three years, the suicide rate in our village has increased due to poor rain and crop failure, resulting in heavy debts.
Kokate said he has been taking part in the yatra for the last 16 years.
Another farmer from Latur, Dutta Dhog, said, “There has been no proper rainfall in our village. Most of my crops are ruined.” Dhog has been taking part in the yatra for eight years.
One of the major concerns raised by farmers was poor-quality seeds. “If the seeds are of bad quality, no amount of hard work we put in will help us get a good yield,” said a farmer hailing from Osmanbad, who has been taking part in the yatra for 19 years.
Low selling price was another issue a majority of the farmers raised.
“Our crops are sold at values much lower than the asking price. It barely covers our costs,” said Mahesh Tonde from Pandharpur taluka.