Maharashtra farmer seeks Rs 6 crore loan to buy helicopter, says ‘farmers should dream big’

Kailas Patange from Taktoda village of Maharashtra has applied for a loan to buy a helicopter to hire it out in hopes of getting good returns, reports PTI.

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 22-year-old farmer from Maharashtra's Hingoli has filed for a bank loan of around Rs 6 crore to buy a helicopter and hire it out, citing the fact that farming has become pricey. Kailas Patange, a resident of Taktoda village, applied for a loan at a bank in Goregaon. Patange, who owns two acres of land, said that over the years, erratic rainfall and drought-like conditions have made farming costly.

"I cultivated soybean on my land over the last two years. But it didn't fetch me good returns due to unseasonal rains. Even the money from crop insurance wasn't enough," Patange said.

Considering these factors, Patange chanced upon the idea of buying a helicopter and renting it out to make a good living. Talking to PTI, Patange said, "Who says only big people should have big dreams, Farmers should also dream big. I have applied for a loan of Rs 6.65 crore to purchase a helicopter. There is a lot of competition in other businesses, so I decided to go for this."

It is to be noted that renting out helicopters for tours and travel is a big business. Recently a brand-named Blade had announced the debut of its services in Goa, with rides available to both locals and visitors.  The helicopter service would connect Goa Airport to North Goa, South Goa, and Old Goa — a place with a cluster of heritage monuments, according to the business. State Chief Minister Pramod Sawant inaugurated the service at the Aguada helipad in North Goa. The company thinks that by providing this service, travellers will find Goa to be more accessible and navigable. Before that, the brand had also announced its helicopter services in other states like Maharashtra and Karnataka.

With inputs from PTI