The grapes of wrath

NAITALE (NIPHAD): This is the story of Kedunan Borgude's family, one of the well-to-do farmers in Naitale. Once a rich clan of farmers, it took only a hailstorm to push them to poverty. As the men stand gazing hopelessly at the remains of the nightmarish sweep, the women inside the rickety houses try to keep themselves busy, but fail to hide their tears.

The hailstorm that hit the small village of Naitale in Niphad Taluka on Monday afternoon destroyed the grape farms and vineyards in a matter of 21 minutes and dashed the prospects of farmers in nine villages. The crops gave in under the thick layer of ice that lay on the ground for about four to five hours. "The grape crop is like a baby. We watch it grow very keenly. But mother nature did not think twice before throwing the curse on us," said Rambhau Vishwanath Borgude, one of the farmers.

"A vineyard is an expensive proposition. We have taken heavy loans and now it is beyond our means to repay them. We are helpless," said Rangnath Kondaji Borgude.
The loan amount ranges from Rs 10 to 21 lakh, depending upon the acreage of a vineyard. Till now, the village had a 100% record in debt repayment. But all this is set to change this year.  "Heavy rains earlier caused damage to the soyabean and corn crops. We were hoping for a good grape and tomato harvest. But that looks impossible now," said Kedunana Borgude.

Bajirao Borgude, who was working in his tomato farm till 1pm, said: "It was a clear sky and the day looked normal. My tomato crop was almost ready to be picked. I was happy with a heavy fruit and a great yield of the export variety. I was looking forward to making good money this season. But fate had something else in store for me. Within 30 minutes, my hopes were shattered."

"My grapes would have been harvested in the next two months. I spent Rs 6.60 lakh on this year's crop. That is gone. Now if the roots are damaged, my entire investment on the plantation will be lost," feared Laxman Borgude of Rampur, who had visions of harvesting grapes from this plantation for 20 years.

Now he can only cut the leaves and stems and wait for a year or two, hoping for new plants to grow from any surviving roots.

"Our only hope is the government now. We will ask for our loans to be excused and fresh loans to start anew next year. Compensations won't help. And we want support, not empty rhetoric," said Rangnath. "If this doesn't happen, we have no other choice but to commit suicide," he added. The financial loss in the region is worth crores.

The government has already started conducting panchnamas and the estimated affected area is about 900 hectares.