<span style="color: #222222;">Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu today asked the Centre and State Governments to accord top priority to farmers and agriculture during the lockdown. He also advised them to facilitate the smooth conduct of farming activities and transportation of agri-produce during this period. During an interaction with Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar at Upa-Rashtrapati Bhawan today, the Vice President appreciated various measures taken by the Agriculture Ministry to protect the farm sector. He wanted the interests of both producers and consumers to be safeguarded. Calling for more focus on perishable agro-produce such as fruits and vegetables, the Vice President said that special care must be taken of storage and marketing of these perishables. This will help in ensuring adequate availability of fruits, vegetables and other agri-commodities to the consumers.<br />''<br />''Emphasizing the need to ensure smooth transportation of farm produce the Vice President asked the authorities to ensure that there is no hindrance during such transportation. Highlighting the current harvest season, Vice President also called for free movement of farm machinery and equipment.</span><br />