Govt Must Reduce Pressure on Mandis: Bharat Krishak Samaj Chairman

Bharat Krishak Samaj Chairman says that all farmers have been adversely affected due to the lockdown.

Ajay Vir Jakhar, chairman of the Bharat Krishak Samaj

(Photo: The Quint)

Video Editor: Vivek Gupta

Ajay Vir Jakhar, chairman of the Bharat Krishak Samaj, in an exclusive interview to The Quint, says that the nationwide lockdown to curb the spread of COVID-19 has had an adverse effect on the farmers of the nation.

“What happened is that the supply chain was disrupted due to the lockdown, which killed demand, and thus the farmers had no buyers. That’s what led to the losses.”

Ajay Vir Jakhar, Chairman, Bharat Krishak Samaj

He further added that the Centre has given the farmers some relief during these times, by depositing Rs 2000 in their bank accounts, while the home ministry has issued a notification addressing the “problems the farmers were facing – related to harvesting crops, taking them to mandis, or opening the otherwise closed mandis”.

“The state governments need to implement what is written in the home ministry notification.”

Ajay Vir Jakhar, Chairman, Bharat Krishak Samaj

Jakhar hopes that the government takes measures to reduce the pressure on mandis because farmers will be swarming there to sell their harvest, and it would ultimately defeat the point of social distancing.

He requests the government to, “aptly deposit Rs 5000 in the accounts of farmers and farming labourers” and “pay the pending payments of the MNREGA workers, who have been working for the government for so long.”