Sri Lanka has been under lockdown for over 50 days now. With the number of cases close to 870, we do not know when normalcy will return. If we’re daily wage earners or if our job security is threatened, we are at the deep end of the chaos. The same applies to farmers who’ve had to adjust to a “new normal”.
When the government announced the curfew on the 27th of March, they were careful to note that “Paddy farming and plantation, including work on tea smallholdings and fishing activities, are permitted in any district”. This is because our farmers and our land feeds our nation. However, continuing operations as usual has been a tough task.
Logeswaran, a 57-year-old farmer from Nuwaraeliya, has struggled to make ends meet over the last two months. His small vegetable patch was handed over to him by his father, who got it, from his. This patch of land has yielded their family income for years, if not decades. Over the past two months, activity has come to a grinding halt. With economic centres closing down operations due to safety concerns, Logeswaran has had no means of selling his produce. His two trustee farmers who help him on the field cannot report to work either, as public transport systems are closed too. The risk COVID-19 presents to farmers like Logeswaran are more than just health concerns. His income and his livelihood are threatened.
The level of insecurity and jeopardy created by the ongoing pandemic to farmers and the agricultural sector raises very important concerns. It makes you question the structures and rules the sector is dependent on. If it is as susceptible as this to fragility and risk, It is time we rethink our usual order of business.
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Govipola: digital trading, digital business
“Doing things digitally” is almost the new slogan gaining its well overdue fame amidst the pandemic. Running businesses remotely rely heavily on the ability to run your operations digitally. Small and big businesses seem to have embraced the trend and overnight, equipped their operations and personnel to work digitally. Can the agricultural sector do the same?
Yes it can! Your solution is Govipola. Govipola, the website and app, is an online trading platform connecting buyers and sellers digitally. It gives farmers and buyers access to communicate, negotiate and provides transparency to operate freely in a digital market. Govipola allows farmers and buyers to advertise and list what they are buying or selling on the platform. With over 36,000 downloads across the country, the app is fast becoming an essential to most farmers and buyers.
Logeswaran can now list his yield on the website and be guaranteed a sale. He doesn’t have to go through the hassle of taking his produce to an economic center, bargaining, and wasting his time negotiating a sale. At the click of a button, he can now advertise his produce, coordinate with an interested buyer and arrange for payment and pick up – virtually!
A few weeks ago, the Government of Sri Lanka released interim guidelines that Economic Centers would have to adopt, once they resume operations. The exhaustive list of guidelines is meant to protect the health and safety of farmers and buyers. However, with the uncertainty of the spread of the pandemic and the lack of a vaccine in close sight, going back to a crowded, claustrophobic economic centre is an absolute risk.
One vendor contaminating the virus is enough to spread it to hundreds. This is exactly why platforms like Govipola are important now, more than ever! Govipola almost allows contactless transactions. The ability to list your product online, negotiate prices over the phone, and arrange transport and payment digitally means that you have very limited interaction with the other party, reducing the risk of you contaminating the virus.
Its time to modernize agriculture with digital tools. The solution Govipola, is already here. Hundreds of farmers and buyers have tried, tested and recommended the app and it’s time for you to join us too. Think about the future of your business and your operations. If not COVID-19, something else will threaten the existence of your livelihood soon. You cannot afford to close operations for a couple of months and resume again, without burdening exorbitant costs. Choose wisely, choose Govipola. Our support staff is available on 076 212 1000 to assist you!
Govipola: digital trading, digital business
“Doing things digitally” is almost the new slogan gaining its well overdue fame amidst the pandemic. Running businesses remotely rely heavily on the ability to run your operations digitally. Small and big businesses seem to have embraced the trend and overnight, equipped their operations and personnel to work digitally. Can the agricultural sector do the same?
Yes it can! Your solution is Govipola. Govipola, the website and app, is an online trading platform connecting buyers and sellers digitally. It gives farmers and buyers access to communicate, negotiate and provides transparency to operate freely in a digital market. Govipola allows farmers and buyers to advertise and list what they are buying or selling on the platform. With over 36,000 downloads across the country, the app is fast becoming an essential to most farmers and buyers.
Logeswaran can now list his yield on the website and be guaranteed a sale. He doesn’t have to go through the hassle of taking his produce to an economic center, bargaining, and wasting his time negotiating a sale. At the click of a button, he can now advertise his produce, coordinate with an interested buyer and arrange for payment and pick up – virtually!
A few weeks ago, the Government of Sri Lanka released interim guidelines that Economic Centers would have to adopt, once they resume operations. The exhaustive list of guidelines is meant to protect the health and safety of farmers and buyers. However, with the uncertainty of the spread of the pandemic and the lack of a vaccine in close sight, going back to a crowded, claustrophobic economic centre is an absolute risk.
One vendor contaminating the virus is enough to spread it to hundreds. This is exactly why platforms like Govipola are important now, more than ever! Govipola almost allows contactless transactions. The ability to list your product online, negotiate prices over the phone, and arrange transport and payment digitally means that you have very limited interaction with the other party, reducing the risk of you contaminating the virus.
Its time to modernize agriculture with digital tools. The solution Govipola, is already here. Hundreds of farmers and buyers have tried, tested and recommended the app and it’s time for you to join us too. Think about the future of your business and your operations. If not COVID-19, something else will threaten the existence of your livelihood soon. You cannot afford to close operations for a couple of months and resume again, without burdening exorbitant costs. Choose wisely, choose Govipola. Our support staff is available on 076 212 1000 to assist you!
The post Farmers going digital with Govipola appeared first on Adaderana Biz English | Sri Lanka Business News.