ZT Special Report: Can farming continue in Kashmir in corona crisis?

28 March 2020

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ZT Special Report

Srinagar: In the middle of the strict corona-related restrictions across J&K, many farmers are asking some simple questions: are they supposed to continue with farming? If yes, what are the precautions they must follow? How and where from should they procure the necessary items?

Ziraat Times engaged with a wide range of government officials, farmers and scientific experts to come up with answers to these questions.

Government of India on Friday evening came up with a circular which declares farming and various related activities as “essential services”.

So, the first good news is that farming can continue, but farmers and all those engaged with its various activities have to follow a lot of precautions.

The order, issued on March 27 by the Ministry of Home Affairs, which comes in continuation of Ministry of Home Affairs’s Order No. 40-3/2020-DM-I(A) Dated 24th March, 2020 and 25th March, designates the following activities as “essential services”.

Agencies engaged in procurement of agriculture products, including MSP operations.

‘Mandis’ operated by the Agriculture Produce Market Committee or as notified by the State Government.

Shops of fertilizers.

Farming operations by farmers and farm workers in the field.

‘Custom Hiring Centres (CHC)’ related to farm machinery.

Manufacturing and packaging units of Fertilisers, Pesticides and Seeds.

Intra and inter-state movement of harvesting and sowing related machines like combined harvester and other agriculture/horticulture implements.

Speaking to Ziraat Times, Director Agriculture Department Aijaz Andrabi, insists farmers must follow government guidelines. However, in the long term, he sees “adverse impacts on agriculture sector inevitable, for which we need to prepare.”

“In these circumstances, non-availabilty of labour would impede the on-field practices required for adhering to the best practices necessary for increasing the production and productivity of agricultural crops”, he said, adding, “the priority before the government is to maintain social distances for people’s safety.”

“Left over cultural operations (weeding, top dose of nitrogen etc) of standing Rabi crops are done on cooperative/ community basis would be effected as isolation of individuals would not be maintained in the farmer’s field”, he feels.

Meanwhile, Director Horticulture, Aijaz Ahmad Bhat, speaking to Ziraat Times, made a request to all DCs to allow fruit growers to develop their nurseries and allow them to spray pesticides and fertilizers in their fields.

“Regarding plantation of rootstocks in our department nurseries, we are in touch with DCs for the needful. We are in the process of planting 2.25 lac rootstocks at Zainpora and 3 lacs in other districts”, he told Ziraat Times.

Many farmers Ziraat Times spoke to, however, feel there are no clear guidelines available about the do’s and dont’s for farming in the present circumstances. They also feel that there is a shortage of several agri-related items in the market, and they don’t know what to do in case certain agri chemicals or labour are not available at the right time.

Scientists at Sher-i-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST) are of the opinion that farmers can go for the essential activities, but they need to take adequate precautions.

“They can go for sowing, spraying etc. Just keep in mind that they should take several precautions”, Dr Amjad Husaini, a noted scientist Division of Plant Biotechnology at SKUAST told Ziraat Times.

(His detailed advisory of Dos and Donts will be published separately by Ziraat Times today)

Many other experts are of the same view: that following government advisories, farming activities must go on with farmers taking due protection.

“Apple crop, which contributes 10% of our State GDP, is at very critical stage now. If our growers miss a single important fungicidal spray at this crtical stage, the fruits will become unfit for the market in October. Growers should follow the normal precautions advised to keep off the virus like wearing masks, hand gloves and cleaning of their body after sprays”, says Dr Tariq Rasool Rather, a scientist at KVK Shopian, who provides extensive advice to the farmers in the area.