As much as Rs 2,089 crore short-term agriculture loan has so far been distributed to 9.12 lakh farmers of Chhattisgarh during the ongoing kharif season.
Fifty per cent of the loan has given in kind and the remaining 50 per cent in cash, officials informed. According to the budget declaration of Chief Minister Raman Singh, interest-free loan is being given to farmers for cultivation of Kharif and Rabi crops during the current financial year.
As such, a target is set to distribute Rs 2,450 crore during the present Kharif season. So far, 85.28 per cent target has been achieved. This loan is being given to farmers through Primary Agriculture Credit Cooperative Societies affiliated to District Co-operative Central Banks.
Officers of Chhattisgarh State Cooperative Bank (Apex Bank) said here on Sunday said that last year, a target had been set to distribute Rs 2,300 crore loan during Kharif season. During the period, Rs 1,811 crore loan at 1 per cent interest had been distributed.
In this Kharif season, Rs 546.44 crore short-term loan has been distributed to the farmers of five districts – Raipur, Gariyaband, Baloda Bazar-Bhattapara, Mahasamund and Dhamtari – affiliated to District Cooperative Central Bank Raipur. This is 91.07 per cent of the target.
Durg, Bemetara and Balod districts have been included in the District Cooperative Central Bank. So far, Rs 432 crore had been distributed to 1,64,013 farmers in these districts. Similarly, Rs 339 crore loan has been given to 1,47,148 farmers of Rajnandgaon and Kabirdham districts. The target for these districts is Rs 420 crore. The officers said that 1.5 per cent more short-term agriculture loan than the set target has been given to the farmers of Bastar, Kondagaon, Narayanpur, Kanker, Dantewada, Sukma and Bijapur districts under District Cooperative Central Bank Jagadalpur.
District Cooperative Central Bank Bilaspur has distributed 97 per cent agriculture loan to farmers of Bilaspur, Mungeli, Janjgir-Champa and Korba districts. Moreover, Rs 87 crore loan has been distributed in Surguja, Balarampur-Ramanujganj, Surajpur and Korea districts. District Cooperative Central Bank Raigarh has distributed Rs 54.38 crore to 30,302 farmers of Raigarh and Jashpur districts.