FARMERS are incurring severe losses amid countrywide shutdown imposed to contain coronavirus spread. They are in a helpless crisis also because labourers are not available for fear of the contagious disease and the fear that they may not be able to collect their agri-products. Besides, they are getting price for vegetables at half the cost of production. In many cases, the farmers are not plucking their vegetables and letting those wasted in the fields. Actually, the farmers are in most difficult conditions. Millions of farmers are living in fear of starvation along with their children. There is nobody to help. Whatever help is offered by the government does not reach the farmers. Corruption in the government is as active as before.
The government yesterday announced a stimulus package of Tk 5,000 crore to provide financial assistance to farmers in rural areas against the backdrop of COVID-19 pandemic. Country’s central bank will formulate a new refinancing scheme of Tk 5,000 crore to provide incentive to the agricultural sector. Money will be given to farmers at 5 per cent interest. What is feared is that the corrupt ones will award the lion’s share. Under the same badly managed government, only the announcements of financial assistance to farmers may not mean anything. There is also lack of coordination among the policy makers. The government declared shut down from March 26 to April 25 coincided with peak summer farming season when crops are harvested and sold. This year many farmers were getting ready to reap bumper harvests. The condition of summer fruits and vegetable farmers is also pathetic. Besides, a bumper crop of wheat is ready for harvest, but hobbled by severe labour shortages and transport bottlenecks.
The pandemic will certainly plunge the country’s struggling rural economy into further distress. Although farming has been declared an essential service and kitchen markets are exempted from the lockdown but there was not sufficient publicity, and confusion persisted. Yet, the shuttered economy has left farmers facing huge challenges where the government services are shut down, though unofficially.
