Saturday, July 1 2006 10:48 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Dhamangaon (Amravati district): "Help us out in getting loan to raise a fencing around our farm. My father ended life as he was fed up of the damage to the crop by wild animals. My family may be compelled to take the same step if we cannot fight the problem," Subhash Kane, a marginal farmer from Amravati district told Prime Minister Manmohan Singh yesterday (June 30, 2006).

Subhash's problem could appear a small one, but with a small land holding and many mouths to feed, his father ended life this year for this very reason. Things have not changed for the Kane family since then.

Subhash was one of the select farmers in distress, whom Singh met at Dhamangaon in Amravati district today as part of his two-day tour of Vidarbha to understand and address problems of farmers in the region.

With majority of the farm land being rain-fed, thanks to miniscule irrigation facilities in the region, crop yield depends solely on the mercy of the rain god. Deficient rains spell doom for farmers.

Sheshrao Wankhede is one such farmer. With just five acres of land to toil, Sheshrao finds it difficult to make two ends meet.

"I have Rs 20,000 loan of the district bank and I could not pay that as my wife was operated for thyroid and I ended up spending over Rs 25,000 for it," he told the Prime Minister.