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The nationwide coronavirus lockdown has grounded several industries and halted economic activity.  In the first phase of the lockdown, the most prominent impact was felt in the food supply chain due to widespread closure of APMC markets, disruption of transport and logistics, scarcity of contractual labour employed in agricultural farms, etc.

GK Today

On April 20, 2020, the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer Welfare announced that the sown crop area of summer crops has increased by 36%. Farmin

Economic Times

After labour and lockdown, it is the decision of the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) to charge toll starting April 20, which is likely to disturb the crucial harvesting and procurement of rabi crops. All India Motor Transport Congress (AIMTC) has demanded that the toll on highways should be suspended till May 3 as transport sector will not be able to sustain this burden.

Hindustan Times

Even as welcome showers in the last 24 hours brought down temperatures in more than half the districts of the state, UP farmers were faced by another challenge: how to protect their Rabi crop.

Farmers, now harvesting wheat, mustard and pulses, are facing labour shortage and absence of transport facilities due to the nation-wide lockdown imposed to contain the Covid-19 outbreak.

“My wheat harvest on two-acre land was drenched in the rain last night. This has delayed wheat husking (removing the wheat grain from the husk). The process requires wheat to be dry. If it rains in the next two days, I will be in big trouble,” said Surat Ram Verma, a farmer in Malihabad, Lucknow.

Sambad English

With an aim to lessen the troubles of farmers to sell their agricultural produce during lockdown and maintain social distancing amid COVID-19 pandemic, the Odisha government today launched a website for vegetable and fruits farmers.

Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment Minister Arun Sahoo launched a website www.odihortmarketing.nic.in here to facilitate easy and timely marketing of Horticultural products like fruits, vegetables, flowers and spices etc.

Greater Kashmir

Amid the lockdown, many people have switched over to conventional ways of overcoming shortage of vegetable at their own level.

Agriculture department, Kashmir has also started a campaign to encourage kitchen gardening.

Kashmir Welfare Trust, a voluntary group has taken an initiative to encourage kitchen gardening in Srinagar to help overcome shortage of vegetables amid COVID19 lockdown.

Manzoor Wangnoo, chairman KWT said to begin with, he first replaced the lawn at his house by a kitchen garden to grow vegetables.

Republic World

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday in a statement said that the state would need big interventions in the agricultural sector to remain self-sufficient in food grain production, in case of the prevailing circumstances due to the COVID-19 pandemic continuing for a long period. He said that Kerala is dependent on other States for meeting its demand for food grains, fruits and vegetables.

Hindustan Times

Haryana government on Tuesday said that 1.82 lakh MT of wheat was procured from 16,546 farmers at different purchase centres across the state.

As per the claims of the government, the procurement on the second day picked up pace even as the commission agents in certain districts, including Jind, Bhiwani, Rewari and Rohtak, refused to participate in the procurement process.

In Karnal district and adjoining areas, commission agents held a protest in support of their demands. They have been mounting pressure on the government to revert to old procurement method, a demand that the state government has dubbed as ‘unreasonable’.