Mango, cashew farmers seek higher payout

Mumbai: Mango and cashew farmers from Konkan, backed by farmer leader Raju Shetti and the opposition, staged a protest and demanded compensation worth Rs 5 lakh per hectare for damage to crops by unseasonal rain. The current compensation is Rs 22,000 per hectare.The protesters originally meant to march from Girgaum Chowpatty to the CM's residence—Varsha—but police detained them near Nariman Point and tried to send them to Azad Maidan. State Congress chief Harshwardhan Sapkal, Shiv Sena (UBT)'s Vinayak Raut and Mahadev Jankar from Rashtriya Samaj Paksha were part of the protest. TNN