In a special address Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) Pradeep Jena said that transportation of seeds and movement of tractors will be allowed during the second phase of lockdown, i.e. starting from April 15 till April 30.

Jena elaborated that since this the harvesting time of Rabi crops, in addition, being the time for the cultivation of Kharif crops, it is a very important period for an agrarian state like Odisha. “Vegetables will be procured directly from the farmer producer organisations. All the cold storages and godowns will be kept open for farmers’ benefit” added the SRC.

Jena profusely thanked all Odias for supporting Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik-led government’s COVID-19 related policies and for abiding by the lockdown regulations. He mentioned that we as a nation and also as a state have understood the importance of social distancing to beat coronavirus. The national lockdown as declared by Prime Minister Narendra Modi comes to end tomorrow and was extended till month-end by the State government keeping that in mind.

Source: This story first appeared in The OMMCOM News Feed without any modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.