For the farming community in India, the coronavirus outbreak couldn't have had come at a worse time. The nationwide lockdown announced in late March to contain the spread of the deadly virus coincided with the harvesting season, leaving thousands of farmers in the lurch.
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Though the agricultural industry took the blow, needless to say, it was the small-scale farmers who were affected the most. Tonnes of crops were going waste or being sold at throwaway prices, that would not even let the poor farmers recover the amount they had invested.
A report in The Indian Express has revealed how Ruchit Garg opened an account on microblogging platform Twitter to become the voice of the distressed farmers of India.
The account, that was started sometime in mid-April goes, by the name of 'Harvesting Farmer Network' and connects farmers directly to nearby customers. It started sharing information on farmers who have huge stocks of harvested fruits and vegetables that could rot and go waste if they did not find buyers immediately. This platform started serving as a liaison between farmers and direct buyers, who were ready to procure their produce at a fair price.
Fill in this form below and we would prioritize based on your inputs, feedback and commitment to engage directly with farmer community.https://t.co/02qZNRB4Xv#BuyDirectFromFarmers https://t.co/k8EaulCja4
— Harvesting Farmer Network (HFN) (@HarvestingFN) April 28, 2020
— Harvesting Farmer Network (HFN) (@HarvestingFN) April 26, 2020
(1) Call local farmer only - if he/she is too far they won’t be able to deliver. Call farmer to find out
(2) Buy in bulk - if you want to buy, likely your neighbors as well. Place bigger order to make it worth
(3) Respect this community and be fair to each other.
— Harvesting Farmer Network (HFN) (@HarvestingFN) April 12, 2020
Garg, a Chandigarh-based entrepreneur, runs an agri-finance firm that focuses on the financial challenges faced by Indian farmers.
Garg says that since the account was set up, several customers residing in residential complexes across India formed WhatsApp groups to place bulk orders for fresh farm produce. They only had to arrange for transportation to buy the fruits and vegetables directly from the distressed farmers.
