Tomato farmers in MP face troubling times due to lack of transport amid lockdown

Chhatarpur (Madhya Pradesh) [India], April 17 (ANI): Farmers in Madhya Pradesh are suffering losses as they are unable to sell their produce in the market due to the restrictions imposed in wake of the coronavirus lockdown.
Tomato farmers from Chhatarpur, who are reeling from poverty, said that most of their produce is getting rotten in the fields as there are no transport facilities in their area due to the lockdown.
"All the crops have been completely destroyed. We are not able to send tomatoes to the market. It has caused us a loss of Rs 50,000 to 60,000 in the last two weeks," a farmer told ANI.
However, the Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers' Welfare said that it has taken several measures to facilitate the farmers and farming activities at field level during the lockdown period.
The Agriculture Ministry had said that during Rabi Season 2020, NAFED has procured over 1.21 lakh of pulses and oilseeds on MSP, which has benefitted more than 89,000 farmers.
Under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana, about 5,516 tonnes of pulses has been dispatched for delivery to the states and Union Territories. (ANI)