Amidst his ruined crop, he drank pesticide

Anantrao Jagtap, a science graduate, is staring at a loss of Rs 40 lakh, with his entire grape crop on 5 acres destroyed. Located in Niphad, known as India’s Napa Valley for its grape plantations, Jagtap’s farm in Mhalsakhore looks as if a twister has run through it. Broken bamboos and cables which held together the grape vines hang loose while grapes which could have fetched him Rs 70 a kg lie strewn on the ground.

“I have a loan of Rs 20 lakh on this land. I had taken a crop loan of Rs 12 lakh. It will take me two years to put the entire system in place. I do not know from where I will raise this money and repay my loans,” says Jagtap.

What accentuates the problems of farmers like Jagtap is the state’s compensation policy. Under the present plan, mid-level farmers who own less than 2 hectares are eligible for up to Rs 12,000 per hectare of destroyed crop. Jagtap says the state should give him some relief in the recovery of loans.

In Nashik and Dhule, 40,000 farmers have been given nearly Rs 490 crore as agricultural loans this year. Fifty per cent of them have been affected due to the storms. The state is looking at increasing compensation to up to Rs 30,000 per hectare, but no final decision has been taken yet.