Impact of COVID-19 on Indian Agriculture and Rural Economy

The COVID-19 pandemic is the greatest global humanitarian challenge the world has faced since World War II. India’s effort to combat COVID-19 virus was praised over the globe. However, the lockdown came with an economic cost and cascading impact on all the sections of society. The Covid-19 induced lockdown in India was a huge economic shock. COVID-19 pandemic stalled the economy with complete closure imposed on enterprises across all sectors. Even though agricultural activities were exempted, in the initial phases of the lockdown the agriculture value chain also faced large-scale disruptions. This had a serious detrimental effect on the rural Indian economy. The aim of this article is to highlight the impact of COVID-19 on the Indian agricultural system and rural economy, as well as some potential strategies for post-pandemic recovery