Closed Markets To Labor Shortage: How Coronavirus Lockdown Is Affecting Indian Agriculture

The ongoing 21-day nationwide lockdown in India to prevent the spread of the coronavirus has had a devastating impact on the country’s economy, writes Bobins Abraham at India Times. With the nation in lockdown, millions of migrant workers from across the country who lost their livelihood due to the closure of factories, construction sites and more have been desperately trying to reach their villages in the hinterlands.

It is not just the urban economy that has been hit by the lockdown, the impact of it is much deeper, especially in the agriculture sector. With borders shut and markets closed, farmers across the country are looking at some tough days ahead. While they have been classified as essentials services, which have been exempted from the lockdown, the reality is that the supply chain has been broken – meaning that even if the farmers harvest their crops there is no way they can take it to the wholesalers and then to markets across the country.

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In the past few days, there have been several instances from across the country where farmers were forced to abandon or throw away their produce due to the lack of demand. This includes poultry farmers, dairy farmers, tomato growers, rice, and wheat growers.

Continue reading at India Times.

 

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