While seed production is exempt from closure, the National Seed Association of India has called on the government to allow employees working in seed companies and retailers to operate in the current situation.
New Delhi: Against the backdrop of a blockage in several states due to the coronavirus, seed producers associations on Monday called on the central and state governments to ensure uninterrupted and timely cross-border movement of agricultural resources critical before the upcoming monsoon season.
In India, the monsoon season occurs annually, during this period the country has a record amount of rainfall that can cause flooding.
Depending on the sowing season, retailers selling seeds may be allowed to open stores, the report said, which also says that sowing of jute has already begun in West Bengal, and cotton will be harvested soon in Punjab and Haryana.
Direct speech: “The next three months are crucial for farmers and for the country's food security, as farmers are preparing for the season of harif, monsoon,” the Indian Seed Federation (FSII) reports.
In this situation, the FSII called on both the central government and state governments to support the smooth and timely global and domestic movement of agricultural resources such as seeds, agricultural products, and food.
- The largest swarm of locusts that hit India in Gujarat for more than a quarter century has caused massive damage to the main crops in the western state.
- Water shortages could lead to a reduction in food exports from India, which has become the leading supplier of a number of food products in the world, the Minister of Water Resources of India warned.
- Earlier, we wrote that cotton seed producers want the government to immediately announce a revised seed price.
