Farmers ransack APMC office

Akola May 27 (UNI) Protesting the fall in groundnut prices, hundreds of farmers ransacked the Agriculture Produce Market committee (APMC) office at Akot Tashil town, about 40 kms from here today.

Farmers barged into the APMC office, smashed window-panes and broke the furniture, sources said.

On arrival of large quantity of groundnuts yesterday at the auction, the traders priced it between Rs 1200 and Rs 1500 per quintal, a far cry from its last price of Rs 2250 Rs per quintal last monday.

A meeting was urgently summoned with prominent traders along with farmers and APMC chairman Mr Shankarrao Chaudhari, and the auction was rescheduled for the second time.

This time, under police protection, the groundnut was auctioned at Rs 2200 to Rs 2250 per quintal.

The chairman of APMC assured that it would take the responsibility of bearing the external costs such as coolie, weighing and transport in event of price fall.

UNI