Fate of Food

How agritech ventures are attempting to fix the supply chain that has collapsed during the pan-India lockdown

- Naini Thaker

The volume of goods at Azadpur Mandi, in north Delhi, has halved due to the lockdown

Dinesh Tomar had been pacing around in his 500 sq ft house in Tauli Bhud, Uttarakhand, since 9:45 am on April 14, 2020. In about 15 minutes, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was to address the nation about the coronavirus pandemic. While, at the back of his mind, the wheat farmer knew that an extension of the lockdown was much needed, he couldn’t help but wonder how badly this would affect his crop. “This [April] is the most crucial period for us. Poore saal ki kamai abhi milti hai [we earn for the entire year now],” he says. The pandemic has proven to be a great challenge. With no transportation and bare minimum labour, he adds, “if the pandemic continues, my fear is our wheat will stock up, and eventually rot”. As expected, Modi announced an extension of the lockdown till May 3, with an ease in some guidelines from April 20.

Although there are guidelines in place, the current disruption in The volume of goods at Azadpur Mandi, in north Delhi, has halved due to the lockdown the supply chain has most farmers like Tomar worried. With bare minimum sale taking place since the lockdown was announced on March 24, what will farmers do with the excess supply? And not just farmers, most of the others in the supply chain—be it wholesalers or retailers—are struggling with either a complete stock-out or oversupply.