Agriculture problems during Covid-19
Problems and Solution
Indian Economy development
#Agriculture
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With the nationwide lockdown to control the
spread of Covid-19, mandis where farmers
sell their harvest have also been closed.
In the kharif season, many farmers lost their
soyabean and other crops due to excessive rains and were waiting for this rabi
harvest to pay back their loans. But now they are now facing a new problem:
closed mandis and
crashing prices.
.
Here are four action points that the
Centre and States can consider.
1)
Restricted time for mandis
The government can
allow mandis to operate
amid the lock-down, though with restricted timings. It can consider announcing
a time schedule for different villages.
2)
Use of eNAM
It’s now time for
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s flagship scheme — the electronic National
Agriculture Market (eNAM) to claim its place under the sun. While so far only
traders could buy on the platform from home, it should now let farmers/FPOs
(farmer producer organisations) to sell from the farm gate. Uploading pictures
of the commodity should be facilitated on the eNAM app so that farmers can do
this from their field/home for buyers to know the quality of the grains/pulses.
Once the deal is sealed, traders can be encouraged to make part-payment to the
farmer. He can take delivery whenever the regular transport systems start
functioning and State borders are opened.
.
3)
Publicise eNWRs
Over the last one
year, the Warehousing Development and Regulatory Authority (WDRA) has brought
several Primary Agriculture Co-operative Societies (PACS) and State, Central
and private warehouses from across the country under its fold. Some of these are
closer to villages and can ensure farmers do not have to spend a lot to get
their produce to warehouses.
4)
Supporting FPOs
There are at least
about 5,000 farmer producer companies registered across the country: these are
entities registered under SFAC, NABARD and different State government projects
over the last several years. These institutions can be used to aggregate the
harvest of farmers which could then be lifted by the Centre/State procurement
agencies, suggests Yogesh Kumar Dwivedi, CEO, Madhya Bharat Consortium of
Farmers Producer Company.
FPOs would need
mini trucks to do this as they would be collecting produce from farmers’
fields.
Source
The Business Line
Date
26/3/2020
5)
Avoid distress sales
Farmers can
consider putting their stock in the godowns of agriculture co-operative societies
nearby. If those are ones accredited with WDRA, then borrowing against the
stock will also be easy
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