NEW DELHI: Exemptions to farmers during the lockdown period have eased farming operations a bit, but ground situation continues to be difficult for transporting farm produce to ‘mandis’ and for movement of farm workers as local authorities are observing extreme caution, considering the need for social distancing to prevent the spread of coronavirus.The feedback prompted the agriculture ministry on Wednesday to set up control rooms for regular monitoring of various exemptions and relaxations to farmers, wherever possible, to ensure uninterrupted farming operations even during the lockdown. Agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar called for strict compliance of the exemptions granted to agriculture and allied sectors. He stressed on smooth intra-state and inter-state movement of farm produce. He also urged states to relax agricultural produce market committee (APMC) norms so that farmers can sell their produce outside the designated mandis.