The agricultural sector in the state, which has been weakened by the Covid pandemic, is in an unspeakable predicament with the advent of stricter lockdown restrictions. Farmers are left with no way to sell their produce. Crops are getting piled up due to severe traffic restrictions. Many are even forced to give the crops away for free to those around them. This is one of the most pressing issues which should be given high priority by the new government. There must be an immediate solution to the farmers' concerns.

The dairy sector is currently facing the toughest crisis. Demand for milk has declined as lockdown restrictions have been tightened. With hotels and tea shops getting closed, more than half of the milk was leftover. Milma, the largest milk processing plant, has officially cut production in half. Dairy farmers across the state are bearing the brunt of this. Milma now buys only half of its daily milk supply. Meanwhile, it has launched the 'milk challenge' to help dairy farmers. It is said that it will be of great help to the farmers if the consumers are willing to buy at least half a litre. The government has directed that most of the milk processed by Milma be given to Covid centers, anganwadis, old age homes and orphanages. That is a good thing. It is beneficial to store the surplus milk as milk powder. Similarly, there is a huge demand in the market for a wide variety of dairy products. Although many plans were considered for this in the past, nothing materialized. It was not needed during a period when there was a shortage of milk. However, that is not the case today.

There is an urgent need to find solutions that will help farmers of other agricultural products who are finding it difficult to sell their products. Although the shipment of agricultural produce has been allowed, all routes have been disrupted due to the tight lockdown. Traders are reluctant to buy and store products as markets and shops are only open for a limited time. People generally do not go out because of travel restrictions. With not even a quarter of the previous sales taking place, traders along with farmers are facing a severe crisis. The crisis has been exacerbated by the inability of even those who sell agricultural produce door-to-door to get out. It can be said that the condition of the agricultural sector became even worse with the adverse weather conditions along with the COVID restrictions. Massive crop damage was caused by strong wind and heavy rain. It is learnt that the government has estimated the damage at Rs 400 crore. The real loss could be even greater.

With triple lockdowns in effect in four districts and lockdowns elsewhere, sales of agricultural products have fallen sharply, leaving farmers exhausted. People are not even ready to harvest at many places. There is also a growing tendency to abandon products altogether due to lack of market facilities. Insurance assistance is available in case of crop failure due to natural calamities. However, there will not be any assistance if there is no way to sell. Only the government can understand the plight of the farmers and help them.