With all its downsides, COVID-19 may also create new opportunities in agriculture and allied sectors. Thanks to lockdown restrictions, people may be impelled to minimise dependence on other States, resulting in a paradigm shift towards the agribusiness sector.
“The production of animal protein sources like milk, egg, meat, and meat products has emerged as a potential means to address food security issues and protein malnutrition. Policies and programmes in the sector will be the thrust areas post-COVID-19. A lot of entrepreneurship opportunities exist in this sector,” says B. Sunil, professor and head, Meat Technology Centre, Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (KVASU).
According to the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), 30% of agriculture enterprises are making profit, 35% at break even level, and the remaining 35% are making losses. By 2022, of the total retail market in the country, food retail may occupy 70% of the market. It implies that there will be huge demand for ready-to-eat and ready-to-cook products.
The Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) sector, which has been badly affected by the COVID-19 crisis, is making an effort to promote agribusiness and the agri-industrial sector. But they need location specificity and market-centred production strategies. Appropriate market linkage is necessary to make agricultural operations viable and sustainable. Moreover, it requires good agricultural practices, technology, and micro irrigation methods, says Dr. T.P. Sethumadhavan, former KVASU Director.
Agribusiness can be developed through farmer-producer organisations (FPO) and farmer-producer companies (FPC). It envisages providing services supporting producers or farmers in cultivation and post-harvest activities. Kerala has nearly 120 NABARD-supported FPOs. The Union government announced 10,000 FPOs for 2020-21. Kerala could explore this opportunity by establishing at least 400 FPOs in the current financial year, according to experts in the sector.
Agri-innovations, entrepreneurship, and technology need to be promoted to improve production and productivity post-COVID-19. Moreover, precision farming methods will pave the way for optimising cost of production and productivity.
Food security should be the focus in the post-COVID-19 scenario, says Varghese Tharakan, a jackfruit farmer from Kurumalkunnu in Veloor panchayat. It was Tharakan who developed Ayurjack, a jackfruit variety with just 7ft. to 8 ft. height, bearing fruits in one-and-a-half years, that too throughout the year.
“Jackfruit, the state fruit of Kerala, can play a crucial role in attaining food security. ‘One jack fruit each house’ should be our motto. A variety of value-added products can be developed from jackfruit, which has a huge market in the country and abroad,” he notes.