4,500 farmers in Cumilla haunted by arrest warrants

Banks in Cumilla are suing 4,500 farmers for defaulting on farming loans worth around Tk12.5 crore. Lawsuits have been filed in this regard by general certificate officers representing the banks. Among these, Sonali Bank has filed 111 lawsuits for Tk3,093,000, Janata Bank has filed 120 lawsuits for Tk2,341,000, and Agrani Bank has filed 203 lawsuits for Tk2,386,000, Rupali Bank has filed 23 lawsuits for Tk231,000, Karmasangsthan Bank has filed 12 lawsuits for Tk1,524,000 and the Bangladesh Rural development Board (BRDB) has filed 12 lawsuits for Tk61,000. Bangladesh Krishi Bank alone filed a total of 4,031 lawsuits for Tk115,296,000. Omar Faruk, central vice president of Awami Krishak League, said that farmers have the best record in terms of loan repayment in Bangladesh, and that they are very respectful of the law. He cited problems such as the destruction of crops due to bad weather, failure to get the right amount of money for their crops and death of livestock as possible reasons for the farmers defaulting on their loans. “While trying to get loans, farmers often have to pay bribes to bank officials,” Omar alleged. “When corrupt and influential people steal crores from banks, they get away unpunished. However our farmers who only borrow Tk5,000-7,000 are immediately sued,” he added, asking for a more humane approach considering their socioeconomic condition. He also recommended that loans or the interest on the loans should be written off. “We have to pay extra money to middlemen and bank officials to take loans,” said Oji Ullah, a farmer from Cumillas Shakchi village. He complained that they do not get loans on time and hence they are unable to use them at the time when they really need it. As a result, they spend the money for other expenses. Oji added that all farmers will repay the loans if they are given more time. Shahida Khanom, assistant general manager of the Principal Office of Shonali Bank's Cumilla branch, said that the loans given to farmers are allocated according to Bangladesh Bank's regulations. “We collect the loan repayments with the assistance of the district and upazila administration and settle lawsuits according to the rules set by Bangladesh Bank's circular,” she said. She added they they try to ensure that nobody is harassed after taking loans and they try their best to maintain a good relationship between lenders and borrowers.