Sanand - farmers getting rich

Someone or the other always remains a gainer – that is the simple policy of life. Like take for example the case of Tata Nano. The car itself might not have taken off as expected but the place where the factory was relocated – Sanand in Gujarat is reaping huge benefits.

The company moved there seven years ago and since then, there has been prosperity in the region. This is very visible in the astronomical surge in the bank deposits – they have risen by a whopping 2785% since 2007 to cross the Rs.3000 crore mark. In 2007, there were two banks with nine branches and the total deposits were Rs.104. Today, there are 25 banks and 56 branches and 2 lakh people have deposits. And this surge in deposits is on account of many farmers selling their land at big, fat profits to companies who are rushing in droves to set shop there. In 2007, the cost of land in Sanand was Rs.700 to 800 per sq.mt and today the same has more than doubled to Rs.1500-1600 per sq.mt.

One can most certainly argue over the logic of selling farm land to companies but given the vagaries of the monsoon, when the lure of easy money is so high, what with so many companies willing to buy, surely most have succumbed. Apart from Tata, Sanand is today host to Ford, Nivea, Nestle, Inbisco and even a Greece company – Chipita.