Paradip, Nov. 9: When Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a surprise televised address to the nation announced demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes, Sudam Nayak, a marginal farmer from Kendrapara district, was shocked and worried.

Nayak, 48, who had saved Rs 32,000 at home all in Rs 500 currency notes for carrying out groundnut cultivation in a day or two, is worried that farming will now get delayed. He said: "I had saved Rs 32,000 at home for groundnut cultivation and paddy harvesting. Now, I will lose precious time in depositing the amount in the bank and withdrawing it."

Small and marginal farmers, who are not in the habit of maintaining financial records and carrying out banking transactions, are at the receiving end in the wake of withdrawal of the high-denomination currency notes.

Demonetisation may also have its impact on the wedding season that is going to commence from the first week of December following the Odia calendar.

For some anxious parents, the wedding plans for their children may go awry.

"My son's wedding was fixed for December 4. I had begun pre-wedding buying. I am feeling disappointed as I have to deposit the money in the bank now. I do not know where to get the money as banks have fixed an upper limit on the withdrawal amount. I had planned to spend Rs 4 lakh on pre-wedding buying," said Kendrapara township resident Phakir Charan Paramanik, a retired government official.

Another parent, Rabindra Behera, whose daughter's wedding is scheduled on December 7, expressed similar apprehensions. "I may not be able to arrange for the wedding of my younger daughter till things get normalised. I have yet to buy anything for the wedding. I may have to postpone it. I have already spoken to the bridegroom's parents," he said.

The government's move to withdraw the high-denomination notes is worrying the farming community. Time is ripe for ploughing the field and sowing seeds for the Rabi crop. But those who earn their livelihoods from farming and related operations are starved of cash when it was needed the most, said a cross-section of farmers.

"Our problems just got compounded. We keep the money at home for agriculture work instead of at banks. But the saved amount of money, which is mostly in high-denomination currency notes, is now of no use at all," said a groundnut farmer Nayak, who owns four acres of irrigated farmland.

"We are used to storing money for agriculture purposes at home. After the agriculture season is over and the produce is sold off, we then deposit the surplus either in banks or post offices," said another farmer from Bahakuda village, Nakul Das.

Fishermen at Kharinasi village, predominantly inhabited by sea-going fishermen in neighbouring Kendrapara district, are equally worried.

"I had earned Rs 4,500 from sea fishing. The trawler owner paid me in notes, all of Rs 500 denomination. I was forced to buy goods on credit from the village shop, that too because the shop owner knows and trusts me" said a villager, Debendra Manna.

A tyre shop owner in Kendrapara, Rabindra Mishra, said: "Customers don't have enough money in lower denominations, so they are not buying anything much. Except from roadside tea kiosks and small eateries, most shop owners closed business in the afternoon. It will take at least a week for normal business operations to resume after full-fledged banks and ATM operations begin."