Seed Supply Distress Could hit Availability of Vegetables

Ongoing lockdown period has caused disturbances in processing and supply of seeds. Many farmer brothers are losing interest in planting vegetable crops, after suffering heavy losses. One of the trader said that the loss in the vegetable sector started in the lockdown period. He also stated that it may lead to shortages of vegetables during June and July. 

On the other hand, seed industry is trying to take help of various postal departments to send high value and low volume vegetable seeds from a handful of production areas. These seeds will be sent to the farmers of the country. 

Farmers across the country seem to be unwilling to sow vegetable seeds after seeing much of their crops are getting rot in the fields with the lockdown impacting their transport to markets. The farmers of the country are reluctant to take the seeds from the seed industry. 

One of a progressive farmer from Narayangaon named Ajay Belhekar said that "Plantation of tomato saplings has reduced by close to 80% as farmers do not want to take risk".

He added that "These days we have already suffered a huge loss as we  could not sell the vegetables in the market due to the lockdown and with the coronavirus pandemic likely to prolong, they do not want to go for the labour-intensive vegetable crops."