Sukhal Chaudhary of Dumarwana-5 was a “hali” (servant to work on farm field) 10 years back. But he now owns four bigahas of land. There are many more like Chaudhary whose lives have taken a turn for the better.[break]
Hari Lal Acharya is an important common factor in all these success stories, apart from their individual hard work. Acharya has been a glowing example for the fact that a single individual can transform a whole society with his hard work and inspiration.
Acharya joined Small Farmers Agriculture Cooperative as a 21-year-old rookie 15 years back and has eased the travails of many farmers in the intervening period by providing them loans. Due to his hard work, and uninterrupted contact and cordial relations with farmers, the institute has come a long way, leaving other cooperatives in the country far behind.
The institute that started with a capital of a few hundred thousand Rupees collected as shares from two dozen farmers now has more than 3,000 farmers involved. Its total capital has shot up to Rs 89,848,000 of which Rs 81,177,000 is being invested. “The percentage of debt repayment is 99,” Acharya says with a smile. “The institute has also benefited along with the farmers,” he adds.
The institute that has carved a niche for itself in the field of cooperatives for the last decade became the best cooperative in the Nepali fiscal year 2065/66 while Acharya himself was awarded the best manager two years back.
“I’m a farmer myself and feel happy in being able to help other farmers,” Acharya expresses his joy at the achievements.
The institute has started to redirect the profits earned for the welfare of farmers. “We have started to allocate budget for livestock insurance, crop insurance and social services,” Acharya mentions. This has made the farmers assured while the society has become more helpful, adds Acharya.
The cooperative has also made arrangement for technicians for checkups of livestock and crops. It has also started a dairy cooling center to attract farmers into animal husbandry.
“The farmers were immediately attracted to animal husbandry after the establishment of the center, and more than 10 million Rupees enters the village every year through milk alone,” Acharya says.
The farmers have also started other small businesses by taking loans from the institute. Their harvest has also gone up through the use of better techniques and seeds.
The institute now has four branches, including the ones in Simara, Auraha and Dumarwana as farmers of neighboring villages were interested after hearing the success stories of their counterparts in Dumarwana. It plans to open another branch in Nijgadh of Bara district this year.
“We plan to improve the living standards of the farmers of other villages as well, and will take it forward as a campaign,” Acharya promises. Similar institutes were formed in Inarwasira and Tetariya of Bara three years back under the initiation of the institute, and Acharya has become the darling of the whole populace in the area.
“His continuous hard work and dedication has resulted in the progress of the farmers along with the institute. He is a real friend of farmers,” sums up Krishna Poudel, lecturer at Simara College.