Minister for Agriculture and Dairy Development Pocharam Srinivas Reddy on Saturday stated that the State Government was examining extension of free power supply scheme to dairy farming sector on the lines of the benefit being given to the agriculture sector.
Speaking at the inaugural session of the three-day Dairy Show-2015 at Hitex here, the Minister said dairy farming would be a viable alternative for income generation to the farming community, particularly during drought conditions.
“Adverse weather conditions have badly affected cultivation of crops this kharif season. Dairy farming will provide some succour to the farming community,” the Minister said.
He stated that it was decided during the State Level Bankers’ Committee (SLBC) meeting held on Friday that Rs. 7,000 crore advances would be given to allied sectors of agriculture, including dairy farming, this year. The crop loan target for kharif and rabi seasons was fixed at Rs. 25,000 crore in the wake of truant monsoon and lack of water in irrigation projects.
Mr. Srinivas Reddy stated that the government is planning to give two buffaloes each to over one-lakh women of self help groups (SHGs) this year to encourage income generation activity with the help of dairy farming. He noted that the SHG women were already being given interest-free credit up to Rs. 50,000 from Stree Nidhi and plans were also afoot to extend interest-free financial assistance for purchase of milch-animals and incentives for dairy farming.
