As Durgavva and all her friends along with a bunch of small kids waved me off with faces alight with smiles, bus conductor concluded that Siddapur was my native place. In reality, I was more than 1000 kilometers away from my hometown. As has been the case with all the Milaap borrowers I've met in last 4 months travelling to various villages in Belgaum district of Karnataka, visiting Milaap borrowers in Siddapur was no different; everyone was warm and welcoming which made my job of asking various questions seem like a fun friendly conversation.
Durgavva, Kamlavva, Mahadevi, Padmavva and Savitri all run their individual animal husbandry businesses. A few months ago, they took a Milaap loan of Rs. 60,000 to expand their microenterprises. With the loan amount, every one of them was able to buy a new buffalo.
Durgavva now has two buffaloes. Savitri and Padmavva sold their old buffaloes and both of them now have one buffalo each. “There is a river near our village. So agriculture is good and we are able to get good fodder for our animals from the fields free of cost,” said Durgavva.