Rs 5,000-crore short-term credit for farmers

BHUBANESWAR: The State Government has set a target to provide Rs 5,000 crore short-term credit to the farmers in the ensuing financial year.Replying to the demand for grants for Cooperation Department on behalf of Cooperation Minister Prafulla Samal, Forest and Environment Minister Debi Prasad Mishra said Rs 3,970 crore short-term farm loan was extended to 21 lakh farmers at the rate of 5 per cent interest as against the target of Rs  4,000 crore. However, the interest rate was reduced to 3 per cent for those who paid their loan on schedule.The Minister said the Government has planned to extend farm credit to the tune of ` 5,000 crore to 25 lakh Kishan Credit  Card holders in 2012-13.While 17 per cent of the total agricultural lending at national-level is provided through cooperative credit structures, two-third of the total credit in the State is extended through the cooperative institutions.The Minister said the Government had converted the short-term agricultural loan extended to farmers during the 2011 kharif season to long-term loan in view of natural calamities like drought and floods. Similar facility was extended to the farmers of the State during the 2010 kharif season.The primary agriculture cooperative societies (PACS) have become self-sufficient after taking up paddy procurement.In the current kharif marketing season, 1,853 PACS have procured over 18 lakh tonnes of paddy from 4.17 lakh farmers. The Orissa State Cooperative Marketing Federation (Markfed) has procured 1.43 lakh tonnes of paddy.After taking gram panchayat as unit for crop insurance, Mishra said more than 14 lakh farmers were covered under the national crop insurance scheme out of which over 10 lakh farmers benefited in the current kharif season. The demand of grants for three departments including Agriculture, Cooperation and Fisheries and Animal Resources Development (FARD) was passed by voice vote amidst walkout by Opposition Congress.Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister Niranjan Pujari replied to the demand discussion for the Agriculture Department.