Lockdown hits farmers indirectly, supply of essentials shrinks

Advertisement
Lockdown hits farmers indirectly, supply of essentials shrinks
Kolkata, Apr 3 () The 21-day lockdown has hitfarmers and essential item producers indirectly even as thegovernment has exempted them from the purview of the shutdown

Edible oil supplies in the market have been hit due tovarious factors, industry players said.

Advertisement

These include lower production at plants due toreduction in the number of workers to maintain safety againstCOVID-19, less number of workers to load and unload rawmaterials at markets, less truck movement and paymentdisruptions.

"Our operations will be 50 per cent on an average foredible oils during this period," Emami group director AdityaAgarwal said.

Emami is one of the largest players in the edible oilslike soybean, rice bran and mustard oil in the country.

He, however, said things are improving and there is noreason of shortage as there are enough stock in the market.

Advertisement

Asked about price rise, he said there had beencost-push but price rise is not much.

Price of all major variants of edible oil has soaredby Rs 10-20 a litre at retail level due to a combination offactors, retailers claimed.

Panagarh Sech & Agriculture Welfare Society secretaryAmar Nayek said milk farmers are suffering losses as there hadbeen disruption in offtake of our produce by the agro industrycompanies.

"Amul picks our fresh milk but they are taking farless quantity due to the lockdown," he said.

The Hooghly-based farmers body said it has some 1,200farmers under its fold and have written to the stategovernment to exempt agro-based companies.

Advertisement

They said if agro-industries are not allowed tofunction smoothly during the lockdown then it will impactpotato farmers next season.

"Pepsi procure potatoes also from us. They have takenthis year's output but if they are unable to manufacture thenthey will procure less quantity next year from potatofarmers," Nayek said.

Murshidabad-based paneer makers said, "we are unableto sell our produce and price have slipped more than 50 percent to Rs 100 a kg, while in the city price has spurt over Rs300 a kg.

South 24 Parganas-based puffed rice which is home-based industry is suffering due to the lockdown asprices have crashed while in the city there is a shortage.

"This is due to stoppage of trains. We ferry ourproduction on suburban trains. There is shortage of labourerstoo," farmers said. BSMRG RG
{{}}

(This story has not been edited by Business Insider and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed we subscribe to.)