Agriculture plays an important part in India’s economy and at present, it is among the top two farm producers in the world. This sector provides approximately 42% of the total number of jobs available in India and contributes around 15 % to the GDP but due to farm bills both are disrupted and GDP is shrinking slowly. Also since the reformation of farm bills, the country is experiencing heavy strikes and rallies and amidst that, the railway sector has experienced the loss of 220 crores in just 2 months.
Lately, Delhi’s borders have been witness to violent clashes between farmers and the police since Thursday, with thousands marching to the national capital to protest against the three farm laws enacted by the Narendra Modi government in September. However the shadow of the pandemic looms large and experts warn their agitation could well be a COVID-19 superspreader but farmers, some in masks and many without them, protesting in Delhi and at gateways into the city say the new farm laws pose a greater threat to their survival than this disease.
Due to the sudden imposition of lockdown in the country disrupted transportation also the lockdown was imposed at the time of the arrival of rabi crops into the mandis, which caused high uncertainty in commodity trading. Besides this due to heavy flood in Maharashtra and northern part of India has damaged crops, therefore it resulted in the rise of vegetables and fruits prices in the city. Hence these bills turned Acts have stirred a fiery discourse on the agricultural supply chain, fair pricing, and the livelihood of 146 million farmers in India.
Usually In this busy month in Punjab and Haryana farmers sow a wheat crop in November but this year farmers are busy in agitation. Thus it reflects a clear indication that this is impacting the Agri credit offtake as well, that would create an imbalance in the demand and supply scenario, resulting in non-utilization of Agri financing facilities by value-chain stakeholders.
If the situation of farmer’s protest continues like the way it’s happening in Delhi without following any protocols then the Covid19 cases may increase that would become a major problem, hence its high time for the government to reach a favorable conclusion. Along with considering other factors, slowly the country will face a shortage of food. So to cope up with this scarcity, we have to import Vegetables and Fruits from other countries that will cost higher than the usual rate that won’t be affordable to some section of the society. In that situation, the poor will die due to the deprivation of vegetables and fruits.
