Covid-19: New restrictions worry Maharashtra farmers

Maharashtra government’s conclusion on Friday to announce a night time curfew from nine p.m. to six a.m. in check out of a mounting selection of Covid-19 instances has put the farming local community in a fear. Even as the federal government has not put any limits on agriculture activities, farmers who are by now battered by unseasonal rains say that disruption in the financial cycle will have an effect on them in a big way.

“ Through earlier lockdowns the federal government authorized seed, pesticide, fertiliser shops to continue being open. Even other activities were being authorized but sowing and harvesting activities were being expensive affairs for the reason that of the scarcity of labour. Also, very couple farmers were being in a position to choose their solutions right to the buyers as markets were being closed”, mentioned Yogesh Ugale, a farmer in Nashik. He fears that more limits or lockdowns will incur losses to small onion farmers like him as establishments like places to eat and student hostels who invest in onions from him will prevent shopping for throughout the lockdown.

Even as federal government promises that inter and intra Point out motion of farm equipment particularly combined harvesters were being facilitated, farmers say that they faced important challenges for the reason that of different limits put by the local authorities.

“Agricultural activities ongoing throughout earlier lockdowns but if lockdowns are imposed once more, it would be hard for us to endure. A lot of farmers are by now reeling under personal loan burdens owing to losses in floods and rains. We need to have some time to get better,” mentioned Baba Sawat, a farmer from Sangli.

Credit rating issues

The Union Agriculture Ministry instructed Lok Sabha a short while ago that throughout the very first wave of Covid-19 pandemic, the federal government prolonged the day of renewal of limited phrase agriculture loans that experienced grow to be owing or would have grow to be owing involving March 1, 2020 and August three, 2020 up to August 21, 2020 with the commensurate reward of 2 per cent curiosity subvention and three per cent prompt compensation incentive up to prolonged day.

Through the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic (2021), the federal government prolonged the day of renewal of the limited phrase agriculture personal loan which experienced grow to be owing or would have grow to be owing involving March 1, 2021 and June thirty, 2021 up to June thirty, 2021 with the commensurate reward of 2 per cent curiosity subvention and three per cent prompt compensation incentive up to prolonged day.

“There is a large selection of farmers who are out of institutional credit history system. Also, those who are part of the official credit history system are not in a place to repay loans. Condition in rural regions is by now undesirable and it would grow to be even worse if lockdown is imposed. The overall economy of the area largely depends on agriculture and allied activities and Covid has by now disturbed our financial cycle. Farmers are not in a place to experience an additional lockdown,” claims Sunanda Kharate, a farmer from Osmanabad.

Sugarcane cutters

New limits by the Point out federal government have also panicked sugarcane cutters in western Maharashtra. “The federal government has started off imposing limits and these limits could increase. The sugarcane period is continue to on and we never know if we have to return back to our villages,” claims Tukaram, a sugarcane cutter operating in Mhaisal. Through the past Covid-19 wave sugarcane cutters continue on to operate as they feared getting rid of the operate and money.