Times Of India

Giving partial relief to potato growers, the Punjab government has allowed harvesting of the tuber crop and taking it to cold storage. Sending the produce to other states for trade deals has not been allowed so far. Several potato growers, especially in Doaba region of Punjab, had made deals with traders in Gujarat, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh. They are still waiting to send their crop to these states, failing which they would be left with no option other than to keep the produce in cold storage, growers said. The deals were made recently when potato prices surged to Rs 1,600 per quintal, considered the highest price ever. Such an increase in prices took place four years ago. However, potato growers could ...

Counter Currents

This note is prepared with the understanding that all producers including farm workers have to be protected with an economic support package, even as some produce itself might go wasted and most workers may not get adequate work during these extra-ordinary times. However, for smooth food supply chains to continue, all produce should also be protected as much as possible, starting from harvesting operations having to be done on time during the lock-down period, till the retail point of purchase by consumers. The government should adopt different measures for perishables and non-perishable commodities. Some of the demands below are related to better enforcement at the ground level, of the exclusions already provided in the MHA guidelines for ...

The Hindu BusinessLine

With chaos in farm mandis across the country following the nationwide lockdown, BusinessLine on Thursday featured a story, ‘‘As mandis get shut, here are five ways the government can help farmers cope’’, highlighting the ground-level situation in several States, including Madhya Pradesh. On reading the story, an official from the Ministry of Agriculture called the writer to understand the state of affairs in Madhya Pradesh. The problems of tomato farmers in the three districts of Barwani, Shivpuri and Ratlam, where truckloads of harvested produce have been stuck over the last few days and face the risk of rotting in the heat, were explained to the authorities.

The Hindu

Amid the rising fear among farmers over crop loss due to a delay in harvest on account of the ongoing lockdown, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Thursday said “if situation is favourable” the State government will start purchase of mustard from April 15 and wheat from April 20.

₹1.7 lakh cr. package with doubled food rations, cash transfers for poor

“Since it is not possible to start procurement till April 14, we have made arrangements for mustard and wheat to start on April 15 and April 20 respectively if the situation is favourable,” he said here. “Till then farmers should stock the grain in their homes. There is no need for the farmers to ...

Times Of India

The Punjab government will start wheat procurement from April 15 and Haryana from April 20 in view of curfew and lockdown, respectively imposed in the two states to check spread of novel coronavirus. Punjab food supplies and consumer affairs minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu said the state has decided to start the wheat procurement from April 15 instead of April 1 after consultation with the central government.

News 18

The central government on Thursday announced a relief package for the “poorest of the poor” hit hard by the loss of jobs and income as a result of the coronavirus outbreak, but stopped short of announcing a lump sum amount as cash transfer into the accounts of the needy.

India Today

As many as 1,600 wholesale fruit and vegetable mandis have started functioning smoothly and 300 more will operate from Friday after the central government on Thursday stepped in to normalise the supply during the lockdown.

Economic Times

Farmers across the country are in panic because ripening fruit and vegetables will rot because mandi operations have almost stopped, labour cannot reach farms and orchards and due to transport bottlenecks.

Farmgate prices are plunging. Many private dairies have halved the price they pay farmers, while tomato growers in Maharashtra are not finding buyers for ₹2/kg or less. Farmer leaders said the situation is worse than demonetisation, which only delayed payments and did not damage the crop.