Farmers let rabi 30% veggies rot in fields, start ploughing for kharif

With normal monsoon forecast this year, they want to take advantage of pre-monsoon showers

In a major setback for farmers and consumers alike, vegetable cultivators have started ploughing their fields for kharif sowing despite some 30 per cent of the crops remaining unharvested due to a sharp drop in demand and disruption in marketing infrastructure following the coronavirus lockdown in the country. Kharif sowing time for vegetables will begin after a week or two.

The situation emerged due to the countrywide lockdown that began on March 25, and was later extended for 19 days to contain spread of the Covid-19 pandemic. A major chunk of the demand was from hotels, restaurants and small eateries,