GUWAHATI, April 7 - With farmers facing serious bottlenecks in transporting and selling their fresh produce on account of the ongoing lockdown induced by the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, the State government has directed senior officers of the agriculture department posted at the district level to help producers of horticultural crops tide over the problem in consultation with the respective district administrations.
�The Director of Horticulture and Food Processing has instructed all the district agricultural officers as well as the district nodal officers (horticulture) and the sub-divisional agricultural officers to look into the matter promptly. They have been directed to contact the respective district administrations to arrange for sale of such fruits and vegetables. A lot is at stake because the department has itself helped the farmers during planting and harvesting of these crops and if the items get spoilt then not only will the producers suffer massive losses, even all our efforts of last year will go waste,� a senior official said.
He said that farmers are facing a lot of problems on account of the lockdown.
�Rabi vegetables like tomato, capsicum, cabbage and carrot are in the last stages of harvesting. High value fruit crops like strawberry and banana are also in peak harvesting season and there has been a good harvest. Harvest of early Kharif vegetables like lady�s finger and ridge gourd has also started,� said the official.
Meanwhile, a control room was opened on Tuesday in the Directorate of Agriculture here with a phone number (0361-2332215) to facilitate agricultural activities in the State during the lockdown.
