Brinjal Farmers Incurring Losses amid COVID-19 in Odisha’s Ganjam District

Farmers who have cultivated brinjal in Odisha’s Ganjam district are suffering losses amid coronavirus pandemic. They are unable to sell their product at profitable prices due to COVID-19 situation. Farmers have not recovered their investment.  

Farmers who grow brinjal in Ganjam district have told that they have suffered a lot due to Coronavirus. They cannot sell his crop at reasonable prices. One farmer told that I am not even getting my cost. I am losing more than one lakh rupees. Ganjam District Magistrate Vijay Kumange says that we are working on the management of the supply chain. And self-help groups and volunteers are going to be included for distribution of the produce of the farmers. 

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.