MUMBAI: Tens of thousands of farmers from India’s western state of Maharashtra reached the state capital of Mumbai on Monday to protest a lack of government support despite severe distress within the sector that employs the majority of the country’s workforce.
The protesting farmers have completed a 180 kilometers (112 miles) journey from Nashik to Mumbai on foot over the course of four days and plan to stage a sit-in protest outside the state legislative assembly building.
The farmers are demanding waivers on agricultural loans in the aftermath of unseasonal rains that destroyed crops as also more support from the government and fair prices for crops.
The protest although peaceful so far is expected to disrupt the daily commute of thousands of city workers and cause traffic chaos in India’s financial hub of Mumbai.