Government Closely Monitoring Demand & Supply of Agricultural Products amid Lockdown

To ensure smooth supply of agricultural products during the lockdown, the government is keeping an eye on the demand and supply of agricultural products and is regularly in touch with mandis and other officials. 

As per an agriculture ministry official, the government has ensured that there is no shortage of tomato, onion and potato in any state. No scarcity of these three essential horticultural items can be found. The only thing is that needs to be looked at is stitching supply and demand together. The government is coordinating with supply chains for hassle-free delivery. He quoted that the swift supply of onions is a clear example of well-coordinating supply and demand. 

 “We have bumper production of onion this year. Only thing we have to do is to ensure adequate supply from mandis in Maharashtra. As against 250 trucks in normal conditions, 350 trucks of onions ply every day from Maharashtra to various parts of the country,” the official added. 

Integrated Supply Chain will Be Formed around 25 Major Cities 

 As per sources, among total number of 2200 mandis, 1,600 had started operating. However, social distancing norms and sanitization are being monitored in the mandis. The government is also planning to carry out integrated supply chain around 25 major cities of the country to ensure regular supply of fruits and vegetables.  

 In the supply chain, farmers, farmer groups, farmer producer organisations (FPOs) and their cooperatives as stake holders will be involved. There will also be state agencies and large cooperative societies involved in constructing a sufficient infrastructure and creating an efficient distribution networks.

The government is also looking forward to take on a cluster approach. For centralized procurement, some new collection centers will be created at every cluster. It is also intimated that some new FPOs could be made at local level. 

 As per report, a fellow at National Academy of Agriculture Science (NAAS), P K Joshi, said, “This supply chain is an integration of farmers, farmers groups, cold chain owners, and transport and bulk purchasers in form of big retail companies, food processing companies and hotels. This will ensure delivery of fresh produce with maximum benefits to farmers.”