T he Covid -19 is the greatest challenge India has faced in the last 100 years. The country has been under lockdown starting from March 2020 and is still under the restriction of one form or another. It virtually halted the economy as enterprises across sectors could not function. India’s GDP is estimated to have contracted by 7.7 percent in FY 20-21. The farm sector showed resilience amid such adversities registering a growth rate of 3.4 % at constant prices during 2020-21. Still, it has adversely impacted the farm sector in a variety of ways.

It is necessary therefore to analyze the impact and the webinar on “Rural farm sector - performance during a pandemic” made a very good attempt in doing the same.

The lecture was conducted by Mr. Krishan Jindal, who has over 30 years of experience in Rural Development Banking and his key areas of expertise are Microfinance, Rural Credit, Agriculture Value Chain, and Livelihood Promotion. He retired as Chief General Manager from National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD). He also worked as Chief Executive Officer with NABARD Consultancy Services (NABCONS).