When Farmers Struggled, and Trucks Stopped – The Birth of Kisan Sabha and a New Chapter for TruckSuvidha

April 2020 was one of the toughest moments for Indian agriculture and logistics.
With the nationwide lockdown in full force, farmers stood on one side with perishable harvest ready to move, and transporters stood on the other side with trucks stuck, drivers stranded, and no clarity on movement rules.

The entire supply chain was broken at every link.
From seed procurement to mandi access to freight logistics, nothing was moving smoothly.

And in this chaos, one thing became clear:

India needed a digital bridge between farmers and transporters, and it was needed immediately.

This is where Kisan Sabha entered the picture, and this is where TruckSuvidha found one of the most defining responsibilities of its journey.

How Kisan Sabha Got Involved During Lockdown

While TruckSuvidha was busy handling emergency calls and supporting truckers across the country, CSIR-CRRI was running detailed studies on the gap in agriculture logistics.
They interviewed 500 plus farmers, mandi dealers, input suppliers, and transporters.
A six day survey in Asia’s biggest mandi, Azadpur Mandi, made the situation very clear:

• produce was getting wasted
  
• farmers were forced to sell at throwaway rates
  
• trucks were going empty after unloading
  
• supply chain was completely unorganized
  
• there was no system to directly connect all stakeholders
  

At the same time, farmers were calling us saying:

Bhai, fasal taiyar hai, lejaane ke liye gaadi koi nahi.
Market dikhi nahi, mandi band, police rok rahi hai.
Kya karein.

Transporters were calling us saying:

Gaadi khadi hai. Load nahi.
Permission nahi.
Driver darr rahe hain.
Petrol pump tak open nahi.

These two worlds needed to be brought together immediately.

This is when CSIR-CRRI launched the Kisan Sabha App, a one stop platform to connect farmers, mandi dealers, transporters, service providers, warehouse owners, cold stores, and direct buyers.

And TruckSuvidha became a critical backbone in the logistics and transport part of this mission.

Read More:- When India Locked Down and Trucks Stopped Moving – The Chapter That Changed Everything

How We Worked With CSIR and the Ministries

The collaboration was intense.
Every day was a battle against time and chaos.

• CSIR provided the research foundation
  
• TruckSuvidha brought real ground level logistics understanding
  
• Ministries provided policy clarity and emergency permissions
  
• ICAR and KVK networks stepped in for on ground farmer outreach
  

Farhat Azad maam from CSIR played a crucial role.
Her research and field insights helped shape the early model of connecting farmers directly with transporters.
We worked with her and the CRRI team day and night, mapping routes, permissions, freight availability, and mandi access points.

We were not just building a product.
We were building a national emergency response system for agriculture logistics.

How We Executed Driver Support Programs

The situation for truck drivers was heartbreaking.
With dhabas shut and villages panicking about COVID, drivers were seen as a threat.
Some were denied entry, some were chased away, some were quarantined for 14 days without reason, and in extreme cases trucks were almost set on fire.

TruckSuvidha took several steps:

• launched a dedicated helpline for driver support
  
• coordinated with district authorities for safe passages
  
• helped get movement passes and interstate permissions
  
• updated drivers on open fuel pumps and rest points
  
• connected stranded drivers to local support networks
  
• worked with ministries to ease border restrictions
  

There were nights where our team was taking back to back calls till 3 AM.
A driver crying on the phone is not something we will ever forget.

This crisis made us realise the soul of the logistics industry lies in the people behind the wheel.

Also Read:- When 2020 Opened New Doors – From PSU Trust to National Impact 

How This Crisis Shaped the Future of TruckSuvidha

Before COVID, we were a logistics technology company.
After COVID, we became something larger:

• a bridge between drivers and authorities
  
• a support system for transporters
  
• a logistics partner for government agencies
  
• a platform for farmers and food supply chain stakeholders
  
• a trusted name for emergency transport operations
  

The Kisan Sabha journey opened a new horizon for us.
It showed that logistics is not just trucks and data but the livelihood of millions.

Connecting farmers directly to transporters was not just a business idea.
It became a responsibility.

The lockdown taught us that when everything stops, logistics carries the nation on its shoulders.
And if we can help even one truck move in a crisis, we help thousands of families.

That realisation changed our purpose permanently.