Covid-19’s Impact on India’s Agricultural Sector
Agriculture remains a central pillar of the Indian economy. The sector serves the food needs of the whole country, while also placing among the top exporters of agricultural produce in the world. The sector has been facing its share of challenges in recent years, reports Consultancy.asia, but few have been as severe as the domestic and international travel restrictions during Covid-19.
Grant Thornton breaks the challenges down into two distinct categories: Labor scarcity and exports. Northern Indian states of Punjab and Haryana are among India’s agricultural powerhouses, although farming work in these states is mostly carried out by migrant labor from East India.
When India’s nationwide lockdown was announced in March, the knee-jerk reaction was a mass exodus of migrant labor back to rural hometowns, as workers moved to wait out the lockdown while at home. The harvesting process, which usually starts in mid-April, was thrown completely off balance, resulting in major liquidity issues. The Jute crop is among those that has been particularly hard hit, according to Grant Thornton.
Continue reading at Consultancy.asia.
Get The Newsletter Today!
