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| Reinventing Agriculture in the Time of COVID-19 | | |
Dr. Banarsi Lal and Dr. Vikas Tandon
COVID-19 pandemic has affected all the sectors across the globe. Presently the priority of the government is to protect the lives of people and for that purpose our health workers are playing the pivotal role. Both Centre and State Governments have swung into actions since the attack of deadly Corona virus. In 1st phase India declared a three week nationwide lockdown till 14th of April and in 2nd phase it has been subsequently extended till May 3 for the containment of the virus spread. Agricultural sector has also been effected during this crisis period.COVID-19 has posed a serious challenge to the farm sector also and this sector needs some mitigation measures so as to ensure the sustainable food system in this difficult time. After the initiation of lockdown, the Indian Govt. announced a handsome package (INR 1.7 trillion) to protect the vulnerable sections of the society from the adverse impact of Corona pandemic. Govt.announced an advance release of Rs.2000/- to the bank account of the farmers from PM-KISAN scheme. The wage rate of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MNERGS) workers was also raised by the Government. In order to help the poor sections of society Govt. launched Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana. Prime Minister Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situation Fund (PM-CARES Fund) also launched by the Government to provide the cash and food assistance to the persons engaged in the informal sector mostly labourers.
The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) issued the advisories for the farming community during the lock period to avoid the pandemic among the farmers. Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) across the nation have also come forward to advice the farmers during the lockdown period. Farmers have been suggested to wear masks/towels, keep social distancing, wash the hands at regular intervals with soap, sanitization of farm implements etc. Moreover, scientific guidelines to the farmers are also provided to the farmers especially for the Kharif season. Agricultural term and crop loans have been granted a moratorium of three months till 31st of May by the banking institutions. In spite of all these measures pandemic has affected the farm economy. Although lots of restrictions have been lifted from the agrarian sector but still the farmers are facing the problems. It is due to the lack of transportation as they are unable to bring the agro-inputs from different sources to their farms. They are facing the problems to market their farm produce.
Presently the harvesting of Rabi season crops is going on and in some areas Kharif season crops sowing have also been started. This is the time when the farmers bring their farm produce in the mandis (markets).The delay in supply of perishable farm products such as vegetables, fruits, dairy products, fish also effect the livelihood of farmers. The movement of labourers from their working place to their native place has also affected the agricultural sector as they play the significant role in harvesting and post-harvesting operations of the farm. It is really challenging to provide the fruits, vegetables, food grains and other agro-products to the rural and urban consumers during the lockdown period. With adequate precautionary measures, supply chain of edible things is of paramount importance. Supply of essential items through rail or road needs to be ensured by the Government. Social distancing and other precautionary measures should be regularly monitored while distribution of commodities to the vulnerable population. Government has lifted the various restrictions from the agrarian sector for the smooth harvesting of Rabi crops. The availability of labourers and their safety from pandemic also needs to be on priority for the sustainability of farming sector. The sale of poultry, fish, dairy products etc. have also effected during the lockdown period. It also needs to be smoothened to sustain the livelihood of farmers. Weather has also been erratic from the last few months so there is dire need to protect the farm produce from such kinds of climatic risks.
Main occupation of tribal farmers of hilly areas is livestock farming. They produce milk and milk products and sale them in nearby markets. They have also been affected by the COVID-19 as they are unable to sale their farm produce due to lockdown. The poor sections of society are always affected badly by any pandemic. In India about 85 per cent of farmers are small and marginal farmers and a significant number of landless labourers. They play a significant role to shape the economy of the nation. They are losing their income because of COVID-19 pandemic and their only source of income is agriculture. They should be supported so that their livelihood can be made sustainable. More than nine million active fishers directly depend on fisheries for their livelihood.80% of them are small scale fishers. Overall the sector as a whole employs over 14 million people. E-Marketing and deliveries of farm products can be encouraged with specific terms and conditions. Small and medium agri-entrepreneurs also need special attention so that the rural economy can saved from collapse. Custom hiring centres can be established in the rural areas to provide the machineries to the farmers. Farm advisories should be given in local/vernacular languages and toll free helpline numbers should be provided to the farmers.
Agriculture is considered as the State subject in India and policies and programmes vary from state to state. Agricultural activities can be interconnected in the neighbouring areas. As the Kharif season has come up, the institutions loan should be provided to the farmers so that they can smoothly sow their crops. Agricultural inputs such as seed, fertilizers, pesticides etc. should be easily available to the farmers. Public-Private Partnerships should be promoted to facilitate the farmers. Their farm produce should be purchased at the Minimum Support Price (MSP) so that they can get proper price of their farm produce. Presently due to pandemic obviously the Govt. is primarily focusing on health sector. But there is dire need to focus on agricultural sector also so as to avoid the food and nutrition crisis. New innovations are needed in agriculture as climate is adversely affecting the agricultural sector. Contract farming, land leasing and private agricultural markets can also give a boost to agricultural sector. Organic farming should be promoted to provide the safe and nutritious to the public. It will help to reduce the cost of cultivation and farmers can fetch more money by growing the organic crops. Post-COVID situation may offer us to propose new policies in agriculture and some new agri-export policies need to be framed. Some new climate mitigation models should also be framed. The focus should not be only on the production but it should also be on the food quality. The income of farmers should always be kept in mind. Consumer demand of agro-products should always be properly analysed. |
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