Bagerhat, July 13 (V7N)- To keep the household running, it's possible to cultivate white gold on native soil rather than seeking fortune abroad. Shrimp farmer Vikash dreamt of becoming a successful entrepreneur and standing on his own feet. However, Cyclone Remal shattered his dreams.
 
Now, struggling to cover his children’s educational expenses and household costs, this shrimp farmer roams around his enclosures, burdened with monthly loan installments of TK 52,000 from two NGOs and a bank. It's currently impossible for him to pay the NGO installments. Vikash Majumdar is seeking interest-free loans and government support to recover.
 
Vikash Ajudar (48), son of Ganesh Majumdar from Bor Haripur village in Hoglapasha Union, Morrelganj, Bagerhat, started farming giant freshwater prawns in his area in 1991 to escape unemployment. Initially starting small, he expanded his venture over time, leasing 4.5 acres of land for TK 180,000 per year. He established four model shrimp farms in his village and one in the nearby Jhilbunia village, employing five workers at a daily wage of TK 600.
 
This year, he spent TK 1.1 million on worker wages, prawn larvae, and monthly fish feed costs, with an additional TK 300,000 expected before selling the fish. A month later, he expected to earn TK 2.5 million from these farms. Last year, he spent TK 1.1 million and sold shrimp worth TK 1.7 million, marking a successful venture. However, Cyclone Remal's surge washed away the prawns from his five enclosures and also released about a hundred 2-4 kg carp, dashing his dreams.
 
Bikash's wife, Brishti Majumdar, said they depended on the shrimp farm to run the household and cover their two children’s education expenses. Now, she sees no way to manage the coming days and appeals to the Prime Minister for support.
 
A tearful Vikash Majumdar described the irreplaceable losses to his fish farms. He spends most of his days around the enclosures, unsure of how to survive. He worries about his own family and the five workers’ families. Becoming an entrepreneur had given him a sense of fulfillment, but Cyclone Remal wiped everything out in an instant. Under pressure from the NGOs, he now feels like he's on the run. He believes that if the loan installments were suspended for six months and he received government support, he might find some hope to recover.
 
He appeals to the Prime Minister and senior officials of the fisheries department to arrange interest-free loans and rehabilitation for the affected fish farmers in the area. Otherwise, burdened by debt, they will have no option but to leave the country.
 
END/MPS/SMA/