How Punjab’s farmers rose to the challenge

Context: The handling of the challenges during the pandemic by the Punjab farmers and Government provides lessons for ensuring food security and livelihoods of the vulnerable.

Punjab’s handling of the challenge:

• Vast procurement without COVID spread: 

• Active participation of administration, rehearsing the procurement plan several times before launch. 
• Awareness through demonstration information, education and communication (IEC) activities 

• Expanded Procurement Plan: increased purchase centers, access control, and regulation through e-passes, procurement by invitation, provision of healthcare and sanitization facilities, and floor grid planning.

• Public Discipline: maintained despite the anxiety about weather conditions and social distancing norms were followed.

• Enhanced livelihoods: to local farmworkers who had just migrated and are in dire need of food and shelter.

Way Forward:

• Utilize the local labour market: re-invented due to reverse migration during the pandemic. 

• Reinforced legitimacy of MSP: Can provide instant relief to the farmers. 

• The continuation of MSP, as proved by the current crisis, is a prerequisite for national food security.

• Financial and Technological Stimulation: required to improve productivity as the relevance of agriculture as an employer has been reasserted.