The harvest was meant to repay the loan and cover his son's overdue college fees. But then the farm's irrigation well ran dry. Within three weeks, the tomato plants had turned brown and Reddy could not salvage a single crate. "I have lost everything I invested," he told DW. "I have no money left for the next crop and I don't know how I will repay the loan."
He is now negotiating a job as a security guard in the state capital, Bengaluru, and preparing to leave his farmland behind.