Netafim India and a tale of debt, default and death

Farmers and farm equipment dealers in Maharashtra say Netafim India broke their trust, cheated them and mis-sold products in pursuit of unrealistic targets

Not too long ago, Kishor Devde used to be an optimist, bordering on the unrealistic sometimes. The 29-year-old man from Devdi Hadgaon village in Maharashtra’s Jalna district wanted to become a farmer. Despite knowing fully well about the widespread agrarian crisis in a country that was once known for its agriculture—if at all, this motivated him even more.

“I wanted to implement new technologies and inspire other people, especially young people like me, to take up agriculture,” says Devde, who graduated from the College of Agriculture, Kolhapur, in 2013.

Dashrath Devde, his father, who works as a registrar at Lal …

Author

Pradip K. Saha

Pradip is a co-founder at The Morning Context and leads our newsletters vertical. He has previously worked at The Ken as a staff writer, at Mint as an assistant features editor and the Deccan Chronicle as a copy editor. He works with a slew of expert newsletter writers across subjects and domains. His own writing spans the gig economy, farmers caught in the crossfire of technology, global warming and parents trapped in the edtech wave. Some of his best stories have come at the intersection of technology and human endeavour.

Editor, Newsletters

pradip@mailtmc.com

Delhi