The lockdown has brought some cheer for a Vasai banana farm, which had been affected by black sigatoka, a type of fungi that damaged foliage, for the last five years. With vehicular movement cut, pollution levels have dropped drastically and, says farmer Bavtis Caitan Fargose, there's been a large reduction in fungi growth as well. This without the use of any chemicals.

"We had been incurring a loss of nearly 70 per cent for five years due to the fungi which affected bunch weight. The upper side of leaves would get blackened by the fungus," says Fargose, adding that he wasn't able to buy any chemical anti-fungal agent from agro stores. His one-acre land in Vasai village is located along a busy road which internally connects Suncity in Vasai and Virar.