PATNA/RAGHUNATHPUR/HAJIPUR: Mahesh Sharma is a happy man. A farmer in Naubatpur near Patna, he was pushed into near destitution after facing two consecutive years of drought. But with showers lashing Patna and many parts of Bihar for the past few days, the rain gods have given him the Indian farmers’ staple diet – hope.
“Rains are like gold for us. We welcomed the showers by preparing a sweet-dish. Unlike the last two years, we hope to have a good paddy crop this season,” Sharma told IANS, with a broad smile on his face.
Sharma is among the estimated 70 million people, two-thirds of Bihar’s population of 105 million, who are dependent on agriculture for their livelihood.
Not only that, nearly two-thirds of all agricultural activity in the state is dependent on the rains.
For most of the state’s population, therefore, a good monsoon is often the difference between life and death.
“Rains have brought hope for us. If there was a drought again this year, farmers like me would have no hope for a good harvest,” said a frail Mustafa Khan, who owns less than four acres of farmland in Raghunathpur village of Aurangabad district.
“I am praying to god for a normal monsoon this time,” he added.
Ashok Yadav, who lives in Rampur village near Hajipur, the district headquarters of Vaishali, has already started sowing paddy, as the rains have softened the ground.
“With more rains in the next few days, the water will be sufficient for paddy transplantation and its survival,” he told IANS.