The government, on Wednesday, clarified that shops selling seeds and pesticides are out of the purview of the lockdown. However, a lot is yet to be done to ensure logistics for smooth functioning of the sector and avoid black marketing of agri-inputs.
Covid-19 struck India during the busy season for the agriculture sector. It is harvesting time for potato (Bengal, UP, Jharkhand, Odisha), wheat, pulses, and oilseeds. Boro rice (in Bengal, Bihar, and Odisha, among others) which will be harvested in April-May is now in milk-stage (the formation period of rice). It is sowing season for sesame, jute, and maize.
It is also the time to grow summer vegetables and spraying season for major fruits like mango and apple (Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh).
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Job opportunity
The brighter side of the story is that job opportunities are plenty in rural markets this time of the year, which can be used as a fall-back option for the daily wage earners in cities who are most affected by the lockdown.
Source: The Hindu BusinessLine
