Pragati

Ghanashyama has used the loan to buy fish stock. He buys the fish in bulk from whole sale market at Bhubaneshwar and sells it in the local market at his village Bhargavi. The margin is not much in the fish business as he buys the fish at around Rs.76 per kg and sells at Rs.80 per kg. However, the business is good in marriage and festive seasons at the weekends. Ghanashyama stores the fishes in ice for selling at a better price. Due to recent floods, he has not been able to repay the last two installments and is looking forward to close the loan at the earliest. He wants to get more funding to increase the business.

Pramila has used the loan to buy a cow. She also does a wick business and has used the savings out of this business along with loan of Rs.5000 to buy a cow. She has bought the cow for Rs.11,000 which provides her around 15 litres of milk every day. She sells the milk to local milkmen who collect the milk from her home every day at Rs.16 per litre. There is a milk cooperative at some distance which can provide better rate for the milk however, she finds it challenging to take the milk at the cooperative centre for delivery. Due to recent floods she has suffered losses and has not been able to repay the loan installments in time. She told us that she has got some relief in the form of cow feed from the government but has not been enough to cover the losses.