ROHTAK - Farmers have reacted strongly to the hike in the prices of petrol and diesel.

The delayed monsoon is forcing them to irrigate their fields through tubewells, which consume around 15-20 litres of diesel. They said the price hike would make the running of tubewells very difficult.

“This is the time to sow paddy in the fields. The monsoon has not arrived as yet. We have to use tubewell water to irrigate the fields. The tubewell consumes around 15 to 20 litres of diesel. But now, after the hike in prices of fuel, how will we arrange for so much money to run the tubewell? It will be very difficult for us. We will face heavy losses,” said Rajendra, a farmer.

The farmers said the prices of vegetables and other commodities would also go up, as transportation costs would rise because of the fuel hike.

“With the increase in fuel prices, the prices of vegetable will also go up,” said Bheema Chavan, a vegetable seller in Mumbai.

Petrol and diesel prices rose by as much as 10 percent in India, on Wednesday, the first increase this year and one of the steepest ever.

Petrol prices rose by four rupees a litre, while diesel rates were hiked by two rupees a litre.

Prices were last raised in June last year, when the average price of India’s crude imports were 113 dollar a barrel, but they were cut in December and again in January as oil prices tumbled.

The government has not increased the price of cooking gas and kerosene to protect the poor and middle-class.

Despite price increase, oil firms say they were likely to suffer a revenue loss of 560 billion rupees on sale of petrol, diesel, cooking gas and kerosene this fiscal. (ANI)