How is the coronavirus crisis hitting Indias farmers?
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India has relaxed restrictions on farming and related industries, as it prepares to emerge from a countrywide lockdown. The move is aimed at easing the country\\u2019s food supply chain and alleviating economic impact.
More than half of India\\u2019s workforce is engaged in farming, and agriculture contributes nearly 265bn dollars to the GDP. But the extended lockdown has hurt farming activities. With winter crops just harvested, farmers are facing acute challenges in transporting and selling their produce. Many say they have had to simply leave the harvested produce to rot.
The government has announced a 23bn dollar relief package to provide food security and cash transfers to the poor, but it has been criticized for being inadequate. So, how are India\\u2019s farmers coping and is the country\\u2019s food security under threat?
In this edition of WorklifeIndia, we discuss the struggle of the Indian farmers and look at measures that can help them survive.
Presenter: Devina Gupta
Contributors: Yogendra Yadav, activist and founder, Farmers\\u2019 Movement; Ajay Vir Jakhar, chairman, Farmers\\u2019 Forum India; Chhavi Rajawat, head, Village Soda
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