While cultivation is progressing day-by-day with the current monsoon in the State, the hubbub of farmers has been increasing rapidly in the Primary Agricultural Credit Cooperative Societies for taking agriculture loans.
According to an official press statement issued here on Sunday, agricultural loan of Rs 1,842.6 crore has so far been sanctioned to the farmers in the State. This year, a target has been set for sanctioning loan of Rs 2,300 crore through these societies to the farmers for Kharif crops.In accordance to the policies announced by the State Government under the leadership of chief Minister Dr Raman Singh, this short-term loan is being distributed to the farmers only at one per cent annual interest.
According to the press statement, the loan amount distributed for the Kharif crops this year is Rs 337.54 crore more than that of last year. During this period of inflation, farmers get much relief with the one per cent interest in agricultural loan. Officers of Chhattisgarh State Cooperative Bank (Apex bank) here on Sunday said that agriculture loan for Kharif crops has been given to the farmers in the form of fertilizer, seed and cash from April this year, which would continue next month also. Agricultural loan of Rabi crops would be distributed from October 2013 to March 2014, they added.
They said that the committees of Raipur District Cooperative Central Bank had distributed Rs 510.80 crore loan for Kharif crops, which was the highest loan amount distributed in the State so far, followed by the Rs 410 crore loan given away by the District Cooperative Central Bank Durg. The committees of District Cooperative Central Bank Bilaspur distributed Rs 337.74 crore, Rajnandgaon Rs 323 crore, Jagadalpur (Bastar) Rs 143.63 crore, Sarguja Rs 66 crore and Raigarh Rs 51.27 crore.