Kharif crop loan disbursement overshoots target

Disbursement of crop loan in Orissa through the cooperative sector during Kharif-2010 stood at Rs 1804.27-crore, 13 percent higher than the target fixed by the government.

The state government aimed to provide Rs 1600-crore crop loan during this Kharif season against the last year’s achievement of Rs 1407.82-crore.

The Kharif agriculture season ended on September 30. The share of cooperative agriculture credit is about 70 percent of the total crop loan disbursed in the state.

“We have achieved 113 percent target in disbursement of crop loan through the primary agriculture cooperative societies”, said the managing director of Orissa State Cooperative Bank Limited (OSBL), TK Panda.

 

While Rs 1367.27-crore was provided in cash, Rs 437-crore was disbursed in the form of fertilizers, pesticides and seeds. During this Khariff season 11, 17,867 farmers availed cooperative agriculture credit compared to 10, 11,203 farmers last year.

Close monitoring of loan disbursement by OSEB, active support by the cooperative and agriculture departments are attributed as the reasons for all time high achievement in loan disbursement this year. Besides the reduction of interest rate in cooperative loan to 3 per cent was another factor for more number of farmers to come forward to take crop loan, said a government officer.

The government has set a target to provide Rs 1400-crore crop loan during the coming Rabi agricultural season. Last year, the government had disbursed Rs 1274.35 crore loan in the Rabi season to 8, 21,099 farmers in the state.

The OSCB sources said, except the Central Cooperative (CCB), Nayagarh, other 16 CCBs have exceeded their target in disbursement of crop loan during Kharif, 2010. Top achievers were Sambalpur CCB with disbursement of Rs 252.81 crore loan to 1, 24,077 farmers followed by Cuttack CCB with disbursement of Rs 229.02 crore loan to 1,78,151 farmers. Similarly, Balasore CCB has achieved 121 percent of its target, said the sources.

The achievement of other CCBs included Angul (104 percent), Aska (100 percent), Banki (105 percent), Berhampur (111 percent), Bhawanipatna (105 percent), Bolangir (107 percent), Boudh (103 percent), Keonjhar (104 percent), Khurda (103 percent), Koraput (100 percent) Mayurbhanj (106 percent), Sundargarh (103 percent) and Puri-Nimapara (113 percent).

The Nayagarh CCB achieved 97 percent of the target in providing crop loan in the Kharif season, the sources said.