Impact of COVID-19 on agriculture supply chain

Abstract

Agriculture is considered the backbone of the Indian economy due to the high contribution of the sector to GDP. In FY2019-20, Agriculture and its allied sectors contributed 17.8% to India's GDP’. This numberr has increased further to 19.9% in FY2020-21' , making it the highest contribution since 2003- 04. Agriculture is also the primary source of livelihood for close to 58% of the population, making it the biggest sector in terms of employment. These figures only go about to show how important agriculture is and will continue to be for India's continued economic growth in the near future. Agriculture being a key sector of the economy, both central and state governments over the years have taken several measures to strengthen the agricultural production and productivity of farmers. In the mid-1960s, agricultural production in India soared with the influence of the green revolution. The 1991 economic reforms introduced Indian agriculture to globalization, which significantly impacted agricultural supply chains. However, post-1996, the growth of agriculture started slowing down, and production has been fluctuating despite the best efforts by the successive governments.