To reduce transportation woes prevent losses of vegetable farmers, the administration of Ganjam district in Odisha is trying to come up with ways to kickstart the supply chain amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
"The Notified Area Council (NAC) will take care of the supply chain. We are in talks with Women SHGs in big villages, volunteers and business associations to come up with ways to reach every farmer and prevent losses," said Vijay Amruta Kulange, IAS, Collector and District Magistrate, Ganjam, Odisha.
The COVID-19 lockdown has halted the transportation system in the state, which had lead to the disruption in the supply chain between farmers and vendors. The farmers in the state are facing huge losses as they are unable to reach the markets directly.
Speaking to , Mithun Sahu, a brinjal farmer from the Ganjam district said, "Many farmers have cultivated 500-700 acre of Brinjal crop, but now because of Corona lockdown we are facing losses. Vendors are buying crops from us at Rs 2-3 a kilogramme and selling at Rs 30-40 a kilogramme in Bhubaneswar because we are unable to reach the markets directly. We are hoping that the government will come to our rescue."
Sahu added that till now farmers have not been provided with any help from the administration and no representative from the government have visited them to get an idea of the situation.
( With inputs from ANI )