The Cooperation Department has so far disbursed crop loan to the tune of Rs.182 crore to the farmers in the district.
With three more months left for the current year, the officials have expressed hope that the department would surpass the crop loan target of Rs.222.20 crore, which is Rs.20 crore more than the last year’s achievement.
K.C. Ravichandran, Joint Registrar, Cooperatives, told The Hindu that the distribution of crop loan had so far been smooth in the district.
There were no notable issues in Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) in extending crop loans. The proportionate target up to December 15 was Rs.179.9 crore. The PACS had surpassed the target and they had extended Rs.182.20 crore so far. Of them, Rs.60.7 crore had been given to the farmers belonging to Scheduled Caste. The credit required for ‘kuruvai’ and ‘samba’ seasons had been extended. It was stated that sugarcane farmers had been approaching PACS for crop loan. Similarly, a section of farmers, who had planned to raise paddy in January, had sought crop loan. The farmers, who raised crops using the seasonal rainfall, had sought crop loan from their respective PACS. Hence, the annual target would be achieved well before the time.
The credit repayment was satisfactory last year. The PACS had recovered about 85 percent of loan extended to farmers. There was no interest from farmers for crop loan, if they promptly repaid the loan. Many of them had repaid within the stipulated period of eight months.
He said the Department had received 1,000 tonnes of urea.
It had also stocks of 1250 tonnes of DAP, 1050 tonnes of complex fertilizer.
