NATORE. Feb 1: Farmers of almost all the 16 districts in the northern region, including Natore, are reeling under the pressure of agricultural loans amounting to more then Tk 1.500 crore, reports UNB.

Competent sources said loan amounting to Tk 1,000.63 crore of Rajshahi Krishi Unnayan Bank (RAKUB) and Tk 500 crore of other scheduled banks remain unrealised from nearly 30 lakh farmers, badly hit by the century's worst flooding this year.

The defaulting borrowers are facing 25,000 certificate cases. The farmers failed to repay the loans as they did not get fair price for their products in the previous years because of the influx of middlemen in the rural markets.

The middlemen are used to purchase the farmers' products at cheaper rates and sell at higher prices later after hoarding for some time.

The small and marginal farmers cannot wait for better price due to their acute financial crisis. Besides, they have to repay the dues of "mahajans" (village money lenders) just after harvesting their corps.

In many cases, the farmers of Natore, Naogaon, Pabna, Bogra and Sirajganj district are forced to sell their standing crops from the fields at throwaway prices to meet the de-

mands of the mahajans.

Natural calamities like excessive rain, drought and flood damage a large portion of crops in the country's northern district every year causing colossal losses to the farmers, forcing them to take loans from the "mahajans" at high rates of interest.

Many of the defaulting farmers, who lost the ability of repay loans, are passing their days in deep panic and staying away from home to escape police harassment in view of the certificate cases.