BHUBANESWAR: The State Government on Tuesday directed short term cooperative credit structures to ensure disbursal of Rs 2,000 crore loan for kharif crops by this month-end.The State Government has set a target to disburse Rs 7,500 crore crop loans to farmer members of the primary agriculture cooperative societies (PACS) and large scale multi-purpose cooperative societies (LAMPS) during 2020 kharif season.
Taking a review of the crop loan disbursement by district central cooperative banks and PACS, Cooperation Minister Ranendra Pratap Swain asked Odisha State Cooperative Bank (OSCB) to see that at least 10 per cent of the total loan is extended to joint liability groups of farmers.“Adequate steps should be taken to cover maximum number of sharecroppers under crop financing through joint liability groups (JLGs). The PACS should be advised to dispense at least 10 per cent of the crop loan in favour of share croppers through JLGs,” he said to cooperative bankers and PACS secretaries through video conferencing.
The Minister further emphasised on extending short term credit facility to women self help groups, tenant farmers, oral lessees and encouraging JLGs to avail credit as per the guidelines of NABARD.With around 90 per cent of total farmers of the State are small and marginal and most of them in financial distress due to the extended lockdown, timely disbursement of loan is of greater importance.
While taking stock of fertilisers and seeds in each of the PACS/LAMPS, the Minister directed field staff of the department to visit all the primary societies in the next three days and report the government about the availability of chemical fertiliser and certified seeds for kharif season. Expressing displeasure over low registration of farmers for sale of oilseeds and pulses under MSP, Swain directed the department to facilitate registration for higher procurement.