After the trade routes with Afghanistan were shut down, farmers in Punjab have launched widespread protests. Protesters say they are forced to sell their potato and corn harvests at up to 50 percent loss and are demanding the government urgently reopen the routes to Afghanistan.
According to reports, potatoes cost farmers about 30 rupees per kilogram to produce, but they are being sold for only 15 rupees, forcing many farmers to plow under their ripe crops and replant them. Local activists say the economy of millions of people in Punjab depends on trade with Afghanistan, and the closure of these routes will lead to severe economic losses.
