By Siraj Khan

Nepalgunj, Apr. 21: Farmer Dipak Gurung of Pahadipur, Baijanath Gaunpalika – 2 is now in deep financial trouble because of the lockdown. All the 5,000 layer chickens he had in his farm died of starvation, leaving Gurung literally crying at his fate.
He had mortgaged his Kathmandu home in Prime Bank for a loan of Rs 15 million. To this loan, he added an extra Rs. 10 million himself and started a chicken farm at an investment of Rs. 25 million. His hope was to rear the chickens to produce quality eggs to sell in the market and everything did go as planned for the first six months. But then, disaster struck in the form of the lockdown.
“Because of the lockdown, I became unable to source feed for my chickens and all of them died of hunger,” Gurung said with tears rolling down his cheeks. “I have lost more than Rs. 7 million now. How will I go on!” he exclaimed.
Gurung is now in a world of pain, but his biggest worry is about his house. “The bank will auction my house if I don’t pay the periodic instalment,” he shared his anxiety that has robbed him of his sleep and hunger, “Then, I will be left homeless.”
His plans were to use the money he earned from selling eggs to pay off the loans. But the chickens died before they could produce any eggs, leaving Gurung high and dry. “I hope the government helps me in this time of need,” he said.
Meanwhile, Banke Poultry Traders Association (BPTA) has called on the government to adequately compensate Gurung and many other poultry farmers for the losses they incurred during the lockdown. It has asked the government to develop criteria to calculate the farmers’ losses and compensate them accordingly.