Indian Express

Haryana government Friday announced that it will procure wheat in a staggered manner to avoid crowd formation during the process in wake of the increasing spread of novel coronavirus across the country. This comes a day after Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar announced that the government will begin wheat procurement from April 20.

News Click 

Amid the ongoing country-wide lockdown to contain the COVID-19 pandemic, on March 26, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced a package amounting to Rs 1.7 lakh crore claiming to provide some relief to the poorer and disadvantaged sections of the people. As part of this, she stated, Rs 2,000 will be transferred to each of the accounts of 8.6 crore farmers registered under the PM-KISAN scheme.

Times Of India

UP government on Friday decided to exempt wholesale and retail shops of fertilizers, seeds and other chemicals used in agriculture from the lockdown. CM Yogi Adityanath has directed all divisional commissioners, DMs and districts polices chiefs in this regard, a government spokesman said. In order to maintain their smooth supply, companies making these items, workers engaged in loading and unloading, and transportation vehicles will be exempted.

New Indian Express

In a bid to ensure uninterrupted farming activities even in the face of coronvirus threat, the district agriculture wing has decided to allow opening of fertiliser and pesticide shops.

Chief District Agriculture Officer (CDAO) Santosh Ray said fertilizer and pesticide shops, that were closed since ‘Janata curfew’ on March 22  and the succeeding lockdown, were opened on Thursday.

DNA India

The Centre on Friday said farmers engaged in agricultural activities and wholesale vegetable markets operated by Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC) have been exempted from the purview of the 21-day nationwide lockdown to combat coronavirus.

In the second addendum to the guidelines since the announcement of the lockdown, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said manufacturing and packaging units of fertilisers, pesticides and seeds are also exempted from the lockdown.

Indian Express

This is perhaps the first time ever that India is facing a national disaster or a war-like situation — Prime Minister Narendra Modi evoked memories of “blackout drills” in his first address on combating the novel coronavirus — amidst plentiful supplies of food even as a bumper rabi crop beckons.

Farmers are currently about to harvest —if they haven’t already — wheat, mustard, chana (chickpea), matar (field pea), potato, onion, garlic, zeera (cumin seed), coriander, fennel, red chilli, grapes, mango, summer tomato and other seasonal fruits and vegetables. Given the surplus and extended monsoon rains, which helped recharge ground water and fill up reservoirs, a superabundant produce is round the corner. This comes even as there is demand destruction from the shutting down ...

India Today

Amid panic buying by consumers in the wake of lockdown, here is some bad news coming from Nashik. With no labourers turning up for work, the onion markets in Lasalgaon have been kept shut from March 26.

This will be directly affecting the already hit supply, leading to a rise in the prices.

“Due to the lockdown, labourers are not coming to work. Cops are turning away labourers who want to come for work. Drivers are not available, some who are out have not been able to return. The government is asking markets to stay open, but in such scenario, we have no option,” said Somnath Shirsath, director, Vinchur Agriculture Market.

Hindustan Times

A lockdown to contain the coronavirus pandemic has upended agriculture, the lifeblood of India’s rural economy, breaking down the farm-to-fork supply chain by cutting off farmers from buyers of their produce.

A longer-than-usual supply chain could stoke distress. Thousands of trucks carrying essential commodities are stranded on national highways even though they are officially allowed to ply. Despite the omnibus federal orders that permit them, many transporters haven’t received last-mile permits from local authorities, truckers say.

The Union government on March 28 said it would spare agriculture and all activities linked to it from the lockdown. “The exemption was needed much earlier,” Kavitha Kuruganti, a Bangalore-based farm activist, said.