Farmers of Visakhapatnam Resort To Barter System

The demonetisation has affected the people in various ways. While most of the people in our city have adapted to it in their own manner, the farmers from Visakhapatnam and Vizianagaram have taken to barter system.

With the labourers reportedly helping out the farmers with harvesting their kharif crops despite lack of currency, the farmers themselves are resorting to the ancient form of barter system of doing business. They are exchanging essential commodities like vegetables, cooking oil, rice, medicines and soaps without depending on cash during emergency.

The farmers are also selling their produce on credit to the traders so they don’t incur losses on the long run. The farmers are ensuring they get the essentials in the barter. The traders taking the produce on credit are ensuring they provide the farmers with daily essentials so as not to inconvenience them. They are also paying for atleast 50% of the labour force the famers employ.

The Visakhapatnam district administration on the other hand is trying to protect the sugarcane and paddy farmers by raising awareness about the POS machines. The perishable and non-essential market is in a flux though. The farmers are devising their own methods of paying their labourers wherever the traders aren’t stepping up. Instead of paying them on a weekly basis, they pay them in essentials every 10 days to ensure they aren’t caused inconvenience and so business doesn’t suffer.