Farmers in Odisha can now avail loan for upcoming Rabi crop without bothering to repay the loan taken for Kharif that suffered extensive damage due to drought conditions.
A high-level meeting attended by Chief Secretary G. C. Pati, Development Commissioner U. N. Behera and Finance Secretary R. Balkrishnan and representatives of National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development and State Level Bankers Committee decided that Rabi loan will be advanced to the farmers without asking them to repay the Kharif loan.
It has been decided in the meeting that cooperative and commercial banks will not exert any pressure on farmers for repayment of Kharif loans in the affected blocks. The District Level Technical Committees will be convened soon for reviewing and revising the scale of finance for different Rabi crops as loan to the farmers.
The NABRAD and SLBC have also been requested to issue necessary guidelines to lead banks for convening District Level Bankers Committee meeting to extend the measures required for mitigation of drought like situation in affected areas and advance of Rabi loan to farmers.
Rescheduling of Kharif loan will be prepared after receipt of report of crop assessment, which is now underway.
“This year, crop cutting assessment will be done in three slabs - area affected by more than 33 per cent crop loss, more than 50 per cent crop loss and more than 66 per cent loss,” said Chief Secretary in a statement.
Agriculture department has also been directed to issue advisories for mixed crop and fodder cultivation as per availability of irrigation water and residual moisture which can sustain these crops.
