Agriculture Equipment Bank, a concept of providing farm equipments to poor farmers at low cost possible in the State has slowly and steadily crept into over 650 Self Help Groups (SHGs) during last financial year ending on March 31 this year.
A senior agriculture department official said on Saturday that the Government was preparing to extend the reach and grant amount under the scheme during current and next financial years.
“The good thing about Agricultural Equipment Bank is that the government is providing Rs2 lakhs or maximum of 90 percent of grant to SHGs for purchasing farm equipments like pump set, power sprayers and others, and SHGs need to invest merely 10 percent of cost of the equipments. SHGs have been given also the freedom to rent these equipments out to someone in need around them after their use, which has given the scheme a new charm among SHGs,” said Soil Conservation Director Fanindra Nath Tripathi on Saturday.
He said that the plan so far has remained focused on women SHGs exclusively, as women empowerment is in the centre of numerous programmes and schemes of Government. He added that those women in rural areas who were not taking part in farm activities due to unavailability of low-labour demanding equipments had started appearing in fields after the Government launched this plan in financial year 2016-17.
Notably, Chief Minister Raghubar Das had also shared about this ambitious plan with NITI Ayog members in a meeting in New Delhi last month as a part of changing lives of females in rural areas of State and doubling farmers’ income by 2022.
“The Government has planned to take this programme to every panchayat of the State and Deputy Commissioners of districts have been given instructions to take this programme ahead in priority basis. The Government is also planning to increase grant under this plan for current and coming financial years so that apart from 1.3 lakh Sakhi Mandals or SHGs in the State, and other poor farmers could also take benefit of this plan which has seen tremendous response among SHGs,” said Tripathi.
Unlike other banks, the Farm Equipment Bank doesn’t have any defined branch or showroom. The Government has selected couple of farm equipment manufacturers and brands after accessing their performance and acceptance and familiarity by SHGs after their training sessions with those companies. “SHGs have been given freedom to purchase equipments of their choice from open market and grant amount is transferred to the shop or showroom against actual billing, making the bank friendlier,” said Tripathi.