Akola: Three Akola farmers were detained on Sunday when they tried to hand over soyabean stalks to state agriculture minister Dattatray Bharne during his visit to the city. The move was part of a protest to demand that the district be declared drought-hit.The trio brought soyabean stalks to a review meeting headed by Bharne to draw attention to crop losses in the region due to a deficient monsoon. Police detained the three as they attempted to approach the minister with the soyabean crops in their hands.The detained farmers are Gopal Pohre, Vishnu Arbat and Ravi Gawande, all associated with Kranti Shetkari Sanghatana and Azad Foundation.The detention came against the backdrop of a crop loss review meeting in Akola to assess conditions across the Amravati division. Farmer representatives have been raising concerns over the impact of prolonged dry spells on soyabean and other kharif crops in western Vidarbha.Bharne, during the review meeting, said govt would stand by farmers and provide assistance after review. The farmers, however, wanted govt to take an immediate decision and formally declare a drought in the affected areas rather than wait for assessment.
