Farmers dump produce, spill milk on roads in mass protest

Strike for 10 days begins, though not everywhere, to demand higher prices and loan waivers

Thousands of farmers gathered on the roads in agriculture-dominated states for the first day of what is supposed to be a 10-day stir for reminerative pricing — they dumped milk, vegetables and fruit on the roads.

Supplies of milk and vegetables have been hit in some places and traders fear more of this if the protest intensifies; all farmer bodies are not part of the stir. Protests were seen in various cities and wholesale markets (mandis) of Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and western Utter Pradesh.

The strike call has been given by a Rashtriya Kisan Mahasangh (RKM), which says it