COVID-19: Augmenting Farmer Access to Long-Term Credit

Source: Down to Earth

The current novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has severely disrupted agricultural supply chains and pushed over half of our population, which relies on agriculture for their livelihood, into further uncertainty.

Several farmers have struggled to sell their produce from the rabi season and raise capital to prepare for the sowing season this month, adding to the existing debt crisis. Failing to protect them during this critical juncture could worsen India’s agrarian distress. How, then, do we support our farmers with access to finance to ensure both their livelihoods and our food security?