The severe drought in Maharashtra is proving to be a blessing in disguise for farmers in the State. Dried-up rivers, lakes and ponds are giving the farmers access to nutrient rich silt, which usually settle at the bottom of these water bodies.

Silt is a fine granular material derived from rocks and soil. Rain water carries the silt and it settles at the bottom of these bodies as fine sediment. The nutrient in the silt makes it good organic manure. It is spread over the farms for enhancing soil fertility.

Banks

Farmers have to dig up the silt and cart it away to their farm. However, the process of transporting the silt is expensive as it requires earth moving equipment, labour and dumpers. Banks, sensing a business opportunity, have decided to offer loans of up to Rs 1 lakh for every 2.5 acre of farmland. In normal times, due to presence of water, dredging up this soil is expensive. But due to the current dry conditions, district administrations are keen to get this soil removed so that the depth of the water bodies increase.

They are either asking contractors to remove the soil and provide it for free to the farmers or allowing farmers to dig it up and take away the soil.

Suresh Dhas, MLA from Beed district, which is in the grip of a severe drought, told Business Line that huge mounds of soil are getting accumulated near the water bodies. But the farmers don’t have enough money to take the soil to their farms. Bank of Maharashtra and State Bank of India (SBI) have shown interest in providing loans to the farmers, he said.

Progressive farmer and founder member of Organic Farmers’ Association of India, Jayant Barve, said that silt can enhance the farm yield by a factor of ten,

However, in the first year of application, it does not replace the chemical fertilisers. From the second year onwards, the benefits can be reaped. The valuable manure can be used for any kind of crop, he said.

Barve pointed that for an acre of farmland, about 440 brass (one brass is equal to 100 cubic feet) of silt required. It translates into about 150 truckloads of this manure, which requires over Rs 1 lakh as transportation cost. Farmers who get a loan will be able to cover the cost to a certain extent.

A manager with SBI said that only farmers who have cleared previous debts can avail this facility. In the drought-affected districts, many farmers have not repaid their past debts. Therefore, the decision to give additional loans will have to be taken by the senior management of the bank, he said.

rahul.wadke@thehindu.co.in

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