Agricultural hardship under lockdown.

Byline: Amjad Mahmood

THE agriculture sector is facing one of its biggest crises. On one hand, erratic weather and the resultant untimely heavy rains and hailstorms, coupled with the locust attack, are making it hard for farmers to sleep at night. On the other hand, the lockdown since mid-March has created many challenges and negatively impacted the rural population in general and small farm holders in particular.

The prolonged shutdown across the country has not only reduced on-farms activities but also disturbed the transport and sale of crops, vegetables and fruits, as well as the purchase of farm inputs.

Livestock, the most important sub-sector which contributes around 60 per cent of agriculture's share to GDP, is the major victim of the Covid-19 outbreak. To meet their day-to-day expenses, small farmers rear milch cattle and sell the milk. Closure of tea-stalls, sweets shops and the reduced timing for milk shops under the lockdown's standard operating procedures (SOPs) shrank demand for this highly perishable commodity and thus cut its rates.

Salahuddin, a smallholder farmer from Narang Mandi town near Lahore, says he gets 72 litres of milk from his nine buffaloes. Before the lockdown, the milkman would give him Rs80 per litre but now is not willing to buy at even Rs50 per litre citing hurdles in the onward sale because of virus issues. Likewise, owner of a known sweet shop in Mian Channu (Khanewal) has his own dairy farm but since he is disallowed to open his business because of the lockdown, he is forced to sell milk at Rs40 per litre in the town, says Pakistan Kissan Ittehad general secretary Mian Umair, who belongs to the area.

Some dairy farmers are turning towards value addition in the form of mozzarella cheese and ghee to prolong milk's shelf life rather than sell it at throwaway prices

Initially suffering at the hands of the milkman, Mr Salahuddin is now trying to find a solution through value addition: he is preparing (mozzarella quality) cheese and trying to sell it online. Even if he doesn't manage to find buyers, this will enhance the shelf life of the milk. Similarly, some dairy farmers are making desi ghee out of milk instead of selling the commodity at throwaway prices.

Closure of hotels and the ban on weddings and parties is also hurting the once thriving poultry sector. Vegetables are also being sold at low rates in the wholesale market though end consumers are not benefitting from the low prices as the middlemen are...