Flood-affected fish farmers in Manipur on Sunday urged the state government to waive off loans they availed as primary borrower, citing ‘irrecoverable loss’ they suffered due frequent floods in the state. Addressing a news conference in Imphal’s Manipur Press Club, leaders of the Joint Action Committee of fishers’ Co-operative Societies of Four Districts said that they have no means for repayment of the loans they availed for fish farming due to frequent floods this year.
Convener of the JAC Konjengbam Nabachandra said that the state has experienced floods for three times this season causing ‘irrecoverable losses to their business due to inundation of their fish farms. In such a situation, they have no means to repay the loans they have availed for the business. He said that a total of 163 fish farmers from Imphal East, Imphal West, Bishnupur and Thoubal districts availed loans from the NCTC, New Delhi through Fishery Co-operative Society with Manipur government as primary borrower.
The NCTC released the loans in September 20203. The loan amounts they availed were invested in their fish farms with the hope of getting high profits and improving their business.
However, due to devastating floods that hit the state three times, their hopes were shattered and are on the verge of losing all they invested in the farms. The convener estimated that 80 to 90% of the margin money they invested in their farms was lost. In August, they faced inundation of their farms for the third time in less than three months.
In such conditions, farmers have lost the hopes of returning even 10% of the amount they had invested in their farms. Here, he clarified that floods damaged paddy crops completely but at least some fishes will be left even as fish farms were flooded.
However, there is no situation of returning 10% of the money they invested to the farm. Considering the plights of the fish farmers, the JAC convener urged the state government to waive off the loans they availed with the state government as primary borrower. Apart from waiving the loans, he appealed to the government to make an alternative arrangement for the fish farmers so that they can recover the losses they suffered.