The delay in release of subsidy under Fish Farmers Development Agency (FFDA) scheme has spread resentment in Nuapada where the beneficiaries faced difficulties to pay off loans for digging pisciculture ponds.
Most of the beneficiaries completed the digging of the ponds in April - May, but the subsidy has not yet been released. “We have taken private loans from different sources for completion of the works, the interest of loan is growing. Hence, we are under severe stress,” beneficiaries lamented. It is learnt that, the problem was caused due to the delay in physical verification of the works by the district authority.
The Fishery department had sponsored 24 farmers of Khariar, Boden and Sinapali blocks of the district for availing subsidy, out of which 13 are own source ponds. It means these farmers have invested their own funds in construction of the ponds. The rest 11 farmers have availed loan from the banks. “It is not easy to get bank finance; so we have dug the ponds under the provision of Own Source Pond Development,” said Padman Majhi of Khudpej village who has invested Rs4 lakh in the construction of his pond in one hectare of land. “I have mortgaged the gold ornaments of my daughter-in-law for Rs50,000 and also have taken a hand loan of Rs40,000 for clearing the dues of the JBC machine, which was engaged for the digging. Still, the due is not clear, I would have to pay Rs1.14 lakh more,” added Padman.
As per the National Mission for Protein Supplement under FFDA, Padman is entitled for a subsidy of Rs2 lakh. With the hope that, the subsidy would be released immediately after the completion of the work, he availed the loan from private sources. He is worried now because, the interest rate for the hand loan is an exorbitant 10 per cent per month and the interest due at the end of October was Rs16,000!
Nadir Khan of Samserpadar village has spent about Rs15 lakh to construct a pond in six acres of land. “I have not received a single rupee from the Government although the construction was completed six months ago,” said Nadir. likewise, Muralidhar Behera and Debarchan Behera of Kuligaon village, two other beneficiaries of the FFDA scheme, are waiting for last five months for the subsidy to be released.
In Boden block, there are ten beneficiaries of FFDA and five of them are own source ponds. “We are small farmers and all of us have taken loan from private sources for which we would have to pay interest at higher rates,” said the farmers. Hiralal Majhi of Boden village has spent Rs5.7 lakh for digging the pond in 3.05 acres, out of which Rs2.8 lakh is loan sanctioned by the Bhawanipatna Central Cooperative Bank (BCCB). “The loan limit is Rs2.5 lakh per acre, but the bank did not sanction loan for the total area dug. They restricted the loan amount to Rs2.8 lakh by measuring the water storage area of the pond,” said Hiralal. All other beneficiaries who have been linked to the banks also raise the same objections. “The loan limit of Rs2.5 lakh per acre is too low. It is based on the estimate made a decade ago,” complained the farmers.
It is learnt that the district level committee, which consists of the Deputy Director, Horticulture, District Fishery Officer and the Assistant Fishery Officers has already approved the projects and put those before the district authority for release of subsidy. The Collector has directed the ADM, Nuapada and Assistant Director of Horticulture to submit report on the projects after physical verification, but due to pre-occupation in their own works these officials are unable to give time to these pond projects.
The farmers, who are hard-pressed due to the loan burden, have demanded early release of subsidy. Failure of agricultural crops this year has made them more insecure. “I am unable to face my daughter-in-law as I have mortgaged her gold. Her grumbling becomes unbearable, when she needs the ornaments to wear during festivals,” said Padman.