New Delhi, Mar 27 (IANS): The Union Home Ministry on Friday added agricultural operations and related services as essential services during the 21-day nationwide lockdown imposed till April 14 amid the Covid-19 crisis.

Agencies engaged in procurement of agriculture products, including Minimum Support Price (MSP) operations, mandis operated by the Agriculture Produce Market Committee or as notified by the state government have been exempted from the lockdown imposed under the Disaster Management Act.

Fertilizer shops, farming operations by farmers and farm workers in the field, Custom Hiring Centres (CHC) related to farm machinery, manufacturing and packaging units of fertilisers, pesticides and seeds, intra and inter-state movement of harvesting and sowing related machines like combined harvester and other agriculture and horticulture implements have been included in the list of exempted operations.

It was declared in a second addendum to the guidelines issued regarding the lockdown which aims to break the chain of novel coronavirus or Covid-19 transmission through social distancing.

The Home Ministry has issued two earlier orders since Tuesday exempting various essential operations during the lockdown announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.