KAUREANA (BATHINDA), May 13 — Rajdev Singh (name changed), a resident of this village who owned seven acres of agricultural land, has been working as a labourer in small towns to earn much-needed hard cash. For him cultivation of his land has only meant moving deeper and deeper into debt because of poor crop prices coupled with the increased cost of cultivation.

Gurdeep Singh (name changed), another resident who owns some six acres also works as a labourer alongside Rajdev Singh. Not that it helps much. For he has to pay back more than Rs two lakh in loans taken from commission agents and banks for agriculture.

Kapoor Singh (name changed) of Golewala village, who was once a big man in his village because of to his 30 acre land-holding is virtually on the street today, as his now water-logged land seldom gives more than one crop that too of modest quality.

So Kapoor Singh who used to lend money to other residents until a few years ago, now works as a daily wager to keep the kitchen fires burning. He has also started selling milk to earn some more hard cash to meet his social obligations.

In fact a major section of the residents of Mirjaana, Singo, Lehiri, Kalalwala, Golewala, Rayyia and Fattabalu village bordering Haryana and falling in Talwandi Sabo sub-division of Bathinda district have started selling milk and working as daily wagers workers in nearby towns as the land they used to cultivate can no longer support them.

Increases in the cost of inputs, including fertilizer, pesticide, seed, diesel and the non-availability of canal water in adequate quantity on one hand and falling yields and low prices of farm produce on the other has forced them away from agriculture.

Says Sukhdev Singh of Singo village, “I own 26 acres of land and I have to pay back Rs 2.5 lakh. The debt has been accumulating each year as in the hope of a better crop, I have been taking fresh loans with each season.

Gurjant Singh of the same village has a financial liability of Rs 2.32 lakh. Nachhattar Singh of Lehiri village has a liability of Rs five lakh on his 16 acres.

In Kalalwala village only around 20 families of hundreds are relatively well off (debt free). All the others are in debt from around Rs one lakh to Rs 5 lakh and more.