“It’s been over months now that the farmers have been protesting for their rights, for their benefits. The ongoing protests have not only brought the farming activities to a halt, but also industries across Delhi NCR. We may not see and feel the effect right now, but being in the F&B industry for years, We can say from our experience that there’s going to be a long term effect.”.
Asha Ram & Sons, a food, bakery and dairy ingredients supplier headquartered in Delhi faced certain operational challenges during the ongoing Kisan Andolan.
Let’s read more about the challenges faced.
How have the operations been affected due to the ongoing protests by farmers?
ARS Group has faced many challenges during the Covid-era and the Kisan Andolan around Delhi borders has added to the complexities. Some of them are:
- Operations and deliveries from Delhi warehouse to PAN India customers faced an issue while crossing the borders and travelling interstate. To avoid the affected areas, they had to resort to longer routes which also increased the duration and ultimately cost.
- Though their routes were mostly planned, they faced unforeseen diversions and traffic jams have been the cherry on the cake.
- Transport from their suppliers charged a premium to enter Delhi to deliver to their warehouse.
- Due to restricted inter-state movement, there were issues faced by staff to commute to and fro to our Delhi office and sometimes had to even go back to their safe-havens.
What were your measures during such times? And how have you supported your business and clients?
- Like Indian farmers, we too are committed to our beliefs and values. To fulfil our promise of timely delivery, we mapped our clients and created delivery clusters based on their location and radius. This helped us plan our delivery pipeline better, saving on time and cost.
- To further expedite, we made use of the stock at other warehouses that are out of Delhi and much more accessible for deliveries in other states. We shifted our focus and staff to other warehouses, wherever applicable/possible and needed.
- As much as we believe in the cause of farmers’ protest, our customers are of equal importance to us. In order to provide them value and support in times of difficulty, we at ARS have absorbed the extra costs borne during this time instead of passing it on to our esteemed clients.
While we lookout for the best of our farmers and their growth, we also look out for our clients’ growths. With a dedicated team and years of experience in the industry, we continue to navigate through with innovative solutions for every hurdle that we come across.
