-The Hindu Amid stories of Farmers struggling to sell their produce due to the lockdown, there is also a ray of hope in those who sell locally, creating more self-sufficient communities Vegetables are the new gold. Whoever thought one would dream of roasted potato and carrot raita? These are strange times. After we venture out to buy them, mask and gloves on, we (hopefully) return triumphant, our bags bulging with carrots, beans,...

-Hindustan Times Seema Kulkarni of the Society for Promoting Participative Ecosystem Management (Soppecom), Pune speaks about supporting 500 single and widowed women who do not have ration cards or bank accounts, access food supplies * What is the situation of agricultural village economy in Maharashtra after the lockdown? Maharashtra has been facing an agrarian crisis for some time now. Post-Covid-19 and the lockdown the situation has only worsened. Harvesting operations have come to...

-Newsclick.in “Since many Farmers are afraid to reach the regular markets, the local vendors are taking advantage of it. They are then selling the vegetables at a higher cost to the customers,” said Subramani, a farmer. With no announcement regarding any relief measures, the Farmers across the state are staring at an imminent setback. The lack of transportation facilities, labourers and unwarranted police action continue to hamper the farming sector during the...

-The Hindu The government has an opportunity to help Farmers who are battling declining demand and lower prices Social distancing and living under a lockdown appear to be the only effective ways of dealing with the pandemic. As India lacks the resources to significantly ramp up testing, imposing a lockdown was the government’s preferred option. Although there is limited evidence to suggest that this strategy may be working in containing the spread...

-Business Standard Allows Farmers to sell produce directly to retail chains, bulk buyers for 3 months Mumbai: A series of central government notifications and letters to states in the past two days will enable agri and food products to reach consumers in a timely and efficient manner. The measures include limiting jurisdiction of APMCs (Agricultural Produce Market Committees) to their physical premises, allowing big retailers and even commodity processors to buy directly from...