COVID-19 and the Looming Food Crisis
Will COVID-19 cause a food crisis? Left unabated with frequent lockdowns and social distancing, this pandemic might push the world into a grave food crisis.
Lockdowns of COVID-19 have disrupted the world economy. Another disturbing aftermath that is being predicted is a food shortage. The pandemic is negatively impacting the world’s agricultural sector and if intelligent policy measures are not forthcoming to protect the global food supply chains, a food crisis might be unavoidable.
The world had witnessed several hunger crises in the past due to wars, economic downturns, or bad weather. However, the coronavirus pandemic has a different impact. It is not limited to a region and threatens a food crisis on a global level.
How COVID-19 might cause a food crisis?
With several countries going under lockdowns and social distancing, there could happen a severe shortage of labor for farming and harvesting. Planting is also getting disrupted because of the non-availability of seeds and fertilizers. The ongoing logistics bottlenecks due to the lockdown might disrupt the supply chain further. Food shortages and price hikes seem inevitable.
Countries might also go on a protective mode and close their borders and stop trade to keep the limited supply to themselves. An example is a recent step taken by Vietnam and Cambodia in banning the export of rice. The countries that heavily depend on imports are likely to suffer the most.
As with any crisis, it is the poor who will suffer the most. Along with the loss of income, the increase in food prices would make food unaffordable for the majority. On a global level, the vulnerable section could sink into poverty and face rampant starvation and malnutrition.
Is there a need to panic? So far we are safe because the global food stock levels would suffice for a while. However, if the situation continues for extended periods, the health crisis might soon turn into a food crisis.
India was caught in a tough spot while announcing the lockdown. The nationwide lockdown coincided with the harvesting of Rabi crops. Experts say that both Rabi and Kharif seasons have been affected and the impact would be more visible in the coming years. Our country is also one of the largest producers of rice, sugarcane, and wheat in the world, and disruptions in Indian agriculture might lead to a global scarcity for these crops.
The situation requires policy measures on a global level to exempt farming activities from lockdowns and facilitate the logistics for the agricultural sector. It also stresses the need for strengthening the local food markets. We need to ensure a local supply of essential food items to survive such disruptions in the future.
SITCO provides superior quality food grains during COVID-19
SITCO, the export division of SBL Corp, is a leading producer of organic agricultural commodities such as rice, pulses, coconut, peanuts, cashew nuts, and spices. We have state-of-art production facilities and continuous research and development to bring top quality agricultural products to the market.
Our agricultural products are 100% contaminant free and go through stringent quality checks to meet phytosanitary and microbiological compliance. We provide food grains in packed and sealed according to the regulatory requirements.
The COVID-19 crisis has alerted us to scale up the production to meet the global requirements. We have taken the required measures for an uninterrupted harvesting facility and to assure a high volume of food grain supply.
SITCO offers both basmati and non-basmati rice. White Sella, Golden Sella, Sugandha Golden Sella, Sugandha Raw are some of our leading basmati rice varieties. Kerala Matta rice, Parboiled Jaya rice, and Sona Mansouri are our popular non-basmati varieties. Our range of pulses includes garden peas, butter beans, kidney beans, pinto beans, chickpeas, and haricots. You can also rely on us for superior quality spices such as cardamom, pepper, fennel seed, cinnamon, coriander seed, licorice, fenugreek seed, nutmeg, and sesame seed. We also provide desiccated coconut, peanuts, and cashew nuts.
Even during COVID-19, we have a dedicated workforce that continues the agriculture activities to serve the world in this hour of need. We utilize modern technology and practice social distancing and hygiene practices in our farms and guarantee that the product is free of any kind of contamination like COVID-19 and is safe to use.
We are working to support our clients across the globe with the timely delivery of food products during the crisis. All our food grains are affordable, despite the possibilities of shortages and price spikes because of coronavirus. We also strive to ensure better shipment deals to our customers and provide them with customized packaging.
Contact us to know more about our products and understand the best deals we can offer you.
SITCO is committed to providing food grains in large volumes to avoid shortage during COVID-19.