Angry farmers loot fertilizers in Bihar

Patna, Feb 12 (IANS) Faced with an acute shortage of fertilizers in Bihar, angry and worried farmers looted two trucks loaded with urea bags in Madhepura district, police said Thursday.

Hundreds of angry farmers, who were protesting against shortage of fertilizers in the district, looted the trucks in broad daylight Wednesday, district official Vimal Kumar Singh said.

The incident reflected the anger and despair among farmers over shortage of fertilizers, Singh said.

Famers have been protesting against shortage of fertilizers, blocking National Highway 107 and staging protests at various places.

Earlier, a group of farmers also attacked a local police station, pelting stones and damaging vehicles in the station premises, district police official Kailash Prasad said.

Meanwhile, a case has been lodged against unidentified people in both incidents.

According to reports, farmers took to the streets since two weeks to protest against shortage of fertilizers, particularly urea, saying it would affect their rabi crops.

An official of the agriculture department said: "Farmers have been protesting against shortage of fertilizers in the last few days."

According to the official figure, an estimated 70 million people, two-thirds of Bihar's population of 105 million, are dependent on agriculture for their living.