SANDEEP CHAVAN
NASHIK :
“After the rain, the sun will reappear. There is life,” Walt Disney once said. In these uncertain times, IMD’s forecast on the normal monsoon gives that kind of hope to distressed farmers in the district who are facing lockdown troubles. Amid exemptions to agriculture and related activities, chairperson of Nashik Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC), Sampat Sakale, gave an insight into the probable post-Corona situation of the agriculture and allied sector and tried to offer some suggestions and amicable solutions to boost agricultural activities in Nashik. Here are excerpts from his interaction with Deshdoot.
Q : How you see the future of the agriculture industry?
A : The inevitable lockdown has brought to a screeching halt the movement of agricultural workers, temporary farm migrants, and farm and related activities. It has set off panic in the villages and fears of a rural distress return. This will adversely generate long term impact on the farm sector. There is no market and customer for agricultural commodities. The export quality grapes are being sold at a giveaway price, perishables like fruits and vegetables have taken the worst hit. The lockdown has totally destroyed the market for these products. There seems be no positive news for agriculture at least for a short-term duration. It will take so long for revival.
Q : What are your suggestions ?
A : My first and foremost suggestion is that government should raise an interest-free capital for the farmers at this juncture as immediate relief. No doubt, It has already processed loan waiver and disbursed crop loans. However, to prepare for sowing of kharif crop on the backdrop of hampered rabi harvesting raising of interest-free funds for the distressed farmers is the need of the hour.
Q : What measures you are taking to retain farm migrants?
A : Retaining migrant farm labourers who are basically from tribal belt is currently posing a big challenge for us. In order to retain farm workers we are, likewise government and non-government organisations, providing them grocery, food grains, and other amenities besides counselling them for work on behalf of the Nashik APMC.
Q : Did coronavirus force agriculture sector to rethink strategies ?
A : Yes, due to the Covid-19 lockdown, we are paying a big price in the form of shortage of farm workers for harvesting as well as kharif sowing, unavailability of market for agricultural products and selling of export quality produce at low cost. Raising of interest-free funds for the support and survival of farmers should be an immediate strategic move, at this juncture.
Q : How Nashik would take a turn as far as farm sector is concerned?
A : Nashik APMC is the first committee in the state which remains open 24-hour during this lockdown by allowing auction of Agri produce between the trader and farmer and barring retail sell. As the farmer and the market committee are sustaining huge losses and even cannot recover their production and maintenance costs, on this backdrop it will be unfair to come to any hasty conclusion about improvement in the agricultural sector of Nashik.
-Sampat Sakale, Chairman, APMC, Nashik
