Darbhanga makhana farmer put wife's jewellery as mortgage, now left with 'unbearable loan'

In Bihar, the growers of makhana got a major blow as the destructive flood has ruined their crops, adding their woes during the coronavirus pandemic. Teju Paswan, a sexagenarian farmer, shared his grief and said he had invested three lakh of money after keeping the jewellery of his wife as a mortgage. But, the flood has scrubbed all his dreams and left the family with "the burden of unbearable loan".

Darbhanga (Bihar): At the time, when the country has been facing an economic crisis amid the coronavirus pandemic, the flood which hits several parts of the country have added the woes to the farmers.

In Bihar, the growers of makhana have also got a major blow as the destructive flood has ruined all their dreams and left them only with 'unbearable loan'.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has spoken about the global branding of makhana from the Mithila region. Also, the government made a provision of funds in the Union Budget, but the condition of farmers on the ground tells a different story.

When ETV Bharat reached Darbhanaga's Chandan Patti village under Sara Muhammad Panchayat, a number of farmers reached the spot, assuming the media van as a government vehicle.

Teju Paswan, a sexagenarian farmer, shared his grief and said he had invested three lakh of money after keeping the jewellery of his wife as a mortgage. But, the flood has scrubbed all his dreams and left the family with "the burden of unbearable loan".

While Vikram Yadav, a first-time grower of the expensive nut said he had cultivated the crop by lending money from the bank. Now, the condition is grimmer as he has to pay a big chunk of the amount to the helpers.

"I had taken around one lakh from the bank. Almost 75 per cent of the crop has vanished in the flood and the from the rest of the crop, I have to pay the helpers that I used during the cultivation. Now, I am in debt", added Yadav.

Ramakrishna Paswan, joint director of the Agriculture Department, believes that the floods have caused significant damage. Nearly 40 to 70 per cent of the crops have suffered damage in the district but the exact figures can be known only after a survey has been completed, adds Paswan.