Rural surge of pandemic affects agriculture

Farmers reluctant to hire workers from outside due to the widespread prevalence of COVID-19

The rural surge of the pandemic unfolding in south Karnataka region, as anywhere else in the State, is beginning to impact agricultural activities. Though officials in the Agricultural Department attribute the decrease in activity to inadequate pre-monsoon showers, farmers aver that the situation in rural areas was such that labour was difficult to come by to kickstart land preparation for sowing or even take up harvesting of summer crops. Kurubur Shanthakumar, President, Karnataka Sugarcane Cultivators Association, said that people in the villages are reluctant to hire workers from outside due to the widespread prevalence of COVID-19.