Loun

Loan description:

Loun Phach is 56 years old and married with eight children. All except the youngest who is 18 are married and live separately. She lives in the village of Bakrotes which is in Ek Phnom district in Battambang province. Loun and her husband Rieng Voy, 61, have worked as farmers their whole lives. They own two hectares of rice paddy and rent another four. This year they estimate their yield will be in the region of four tonnes per hectare, which will be higher than last year, and generally considered very good. After harvesting the rice, during the dry season they grow green beans on the same land. Loun does not need to sell her crops at the market, instead merchants will visit her, negotiate a price and buy the crop. Loun keeps about 500 kilograms of rice for the family's own consumption. During the rainy season her 18 year old son goes fishing to a flooded forest which is about four kilometres from where they live. He can sell the catch and earn about $5 a day. Loun applied for a loan from Ek Phnom Credit Union in order to buy seeds, weedkiller, insecticide, and pay for ploughing and harvesting costs, particularly those related to hiring a tractor. She intends to repay the loan over seven months. Loun plans to rent additional land next year to increase rice production, as the price of rice has increased in recent years.