“When I took the first loan we were not financially well off. I wanted to improve our small farm. The micro loan was a great help. It gave me hope. For the next eight years I took loans. We are now at a stage where we can run our business without any financial assistance.

It takes investment to harvest a good crop. With the help of the micro loans we were able to water our wheat crop and apply fertilizer. I returned each loan at the time of harvest and took another loan to sow rice.

This microcredit scheme is of great help to a small farmer. We have a local saying here that land is like a mother for a farmer. One must take care of one’s mother, and if you do that, you are never short of anything.

Now I have enough savings and wish to add some more land to my farm. A landowner in a community has a much better social status. I am hopeful now that I can attain that.”

• Took micro loans for 8 years to buy fertilizer and pesticide for his wheat and rice crop
• Used his savings to buy some livestock to diversify and supplement his income
• Owns 15 goats and has stopped taking loans
• Planning to buy some more agricultural land

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