Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Agricultural Production and Productivity in Banavaram Village of Vellore District of Tamil Nadu

Abstract

The objective of this study is to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on agricultural production and productivity in Tamil Nadu. A total of 147 farmers was surveyed in Banavaram village of Vellore district (93% male; 28% 30-39 years old; 38% literates). About one in ten farmers (10%) did not harvest in the past month with primary reasons cited being unfavorable weather (36%) and lockdown-related reasons (26%). A total of 65% of farmers harvested in the past month (primarily paddy and vegetables), but only 45% had sold their crop; 13% were still trying to sell their crop and 38% had stored their crop, with more than half (55%) reporting lockdown-related issues as the reason for storing. Seventy-nine per cent of households with wage-workers witnessed a decline in wages in the past month and 49% of households with incomes from livestock witnessed a decline. Nearly all farmers reported less productivity (97%). These values are much lower than reported previously for farmers in Banavaram village around this time of year before COVID-19. In conclusion, we found that the COVID-19 lockdown in India has primarily impacted farmers’ ability to produce their crops and livestock products which directly affect their day-to-day activity and standard of living.