The state-owned Odisha State Cooperative Bank (OSCB) aims to advance Rs 10,000-crore crop loan during 2015-16 to the farmers, which is 20 per cent higher than Rs 8343.59 crore disbursed in the previous fiscal.
The crop loan target for the current fiscal includes Rs 5500 crore for Kharif-2015 and Rs 4500-crore for Rabi 2015-16, sources said. Out of Rs 8343.59 crore disbursed in the previous fiscal, Rs 4386.82 crore was paid to 1.62 million farmers in Kharif-2014 and Rs 3956.78-crore was given to 1.41 million farmers in Rabi 2014-15 agriculture season, said the bank's managing director, T K Panda.
Around 80 per cent of the total crop loan in the state is given through the cooperative sector. OSCB disburses the loan through 2705 Primary Agriculture Cooperative Societies (PACS) working under the 17 District Cooperative Central Banks (DCCB) across the state, sources said.
The bank had achieved its all-time high crop loan disbursement in 2014-15.
"We hope the bank will achieve its crop loan disbursement target during the current year as well with the active help of the DCCB and PACs", added Panda.
The bank had provided crop loan to the tune of Rs 7096.62-crore in 2013-14 as against its target of Rs 7000 crore (Rs 3500 crore each for Kharif and Rabi agriculture seasons). .
With the Kharif-2015 agriculture season beginning from April 1, the bank has also fixed the target for each DCCB for Kharif-2015, sources said.
