To empirically investigate the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on welfare and agricultural marketing of farmers in Pakistan, the Asian Development Bank conducted mobile phone surveys in Punjab and Sindh provinces in June 2020 and 2021. The 2020 survey interviewed 839 farmers, and the 2021 survey re-interviewed with 744 of them, or 89% of the original samples. On agricultural production, the surveys found that farmers reduced vegetable production in 2021, probably fearing for market disruptions. To test how perceived risks of future market disruptions affected the reductions of vegetables, the analysis uses Google mobility data to measure the movement restrictions. The results of the paper suggest the importance of reducing market disruptions and assuring market access for farmers.

JEL codes: Q16