Floods wash away crops in Lohian, leave marginal farmers mired in debt

Aakanksha N Bhardwaj

Jalandhar, July 24

Sandeep Singh, a marginal farmer from flood-hit Mundi Cholian, had taken a loan of Rs 2 lakh for sowing paddy on six acres taken on contract (theka). He lost the entire crop in the recent floods. “It’s like losing all hopes that I had for my children,” he said.

Sandeep Singh is not alone to suffer this fate. Many marginal farmers from flood-hit Lohian, who had taken land on contract for sowing crops, do not know how to overcome this crisis.

The burden of loans taken for sowing crops, constructing houses, buying cattle and farming equipment has devastated them. Sarpanches of Mundi Cholian and Gatta Mundi Kasu said 90 per cent of the people in their villages had taken loans and they were now finding it hard to repay the debt.

“I had planned to buy bicycles for my daughters for commuting to their school. But, that looks impossible now,” Sandeep Singh said.

Farmer Daler Singh from Gatta Mundi Kasu shifted his son from a private school to a government school after he lost his savings in the 2019 floods. “I was now saving money to send him abroad and had also taken a loan for the purpose, but those hopes have been washed away in the floods,” he said.

Lohian village marginal farmer Bohar Singh has only one acre of land the crop on which was destroyed in the flood. He is now thinking of working as labourer. “My children wanted me to buy a TV this time, but everything seems impossible now,” he said.