Rebecca Manzi Indian farmer destroys parwal crop with stick after prices crashed to $0.012/kg while middlemen profit. Viral video exposes agricultural supply chain crisis
A shocking episode from the village of Mathurapur in Bihar’s Bhagalpur district has thrust India’s agricultural crisis into the spotlight once again. A parwal (pointed gourd) farmer, pushed to his breaking point by yet another price collapse, destroyed his entire harvest with a stick. His desperate act, captured in a video that quickly went viral, represents the silent rage of an entire community left to fend for itself.
It’s the kind of scene that stops you in your tracks—a man methodically destroying what should have been his livelihood, each swing of his stick a testament to a system that has failed him completely.
Rock-bottom prices and vanishing profits
The core issue here isn’t complicated, though solving it certainly is: farmers have absolutely no bargaining power whatsoever. While production costs keep climbing—irrigation, fertilizers, and labor all demand their due—the prices offered to producers remain scandalously low.
The numbers tell a story that’s almost too absurd to believe. Some farmers report receiving just 1 to 2 rupees per kilogram (roughly $0.012 to $0.024 per 2.2 pounds), while middleman traders turn around and sell the same product for 15-20 rupees (about $0.18 to $0.24) per kilogram (2.2 pounds). By the time consumers in urban centers get their hands on it, they’re paying 40-60 rupees per kilogram ($0.48 to $0.72 per 2.2 pounds).
This enormous gap reveals a system that’s completely out of balance, where those who actually work the land end up with the smallest slice of the pie. The middlemen and distributors always come out as winners. It’s a paradox that repeats itself season after season, seemingly without any resolution in sight.
A cry for agricultural justice
The video, shared thousands of times across social media platforms, has sparked both outrage and solidarity. Countless voices have risen in indignation against a system that continues to penalize those who produce the food that ends up on our tables. The image of a farmer destroying his harvest rather than selling it for ridiculous prices has become a powerful symbol of the failure of the agricultural supply chain.
This tragedy isn’t just viral news—it’s a symptom of a structural crisis that runs deep through India’s agricultural backbone. What’s needed are concrete reforms that guarantee fair prices, more transparent supply chains, and a more equitable redistribution of the value generated by the agricultural sector. Farmers simply cannot continue to be the weakest link in a system that only works for those who broker deals or speculate on commodities.
Working the fields is about sacrifice and patience—qualities that seem increasingly rare in our fast-paced world. No one should be forced to destroy the fruit of their labor because of others’ indifference or greed. The soil doesn’t care about market fluctuations, and neither should the people who depend on it for survival.
