Hyderabad:Agriculture minister Tummala Nageswara Rao on Thursday called on banks to increase this year’s crop loans targets, and urged rural banker Nabard to provide additional funds to farmers for installing drip and sprinkler irrigation systems.
The minister, speaking at a review meeting on monsoon conditions and agriculture operations so far this year, said banks had agreed to provide Rs 58,000-crore crop loans but this needed to be increased under the present circumstances. The officials said so far Rs 20,000 crore had been disbursed to farmers.
Nageswara Rao instructed officials to prepare plans for a `498-crore assistance under the Rural Infrastructure Development Fund from National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) which can then be used to provide subsidies to farmers for installing drip and sprinkler irrigation systems.
The availability of seeds for the identified alternate crops should be ensured and if required, Rythu Vedikas should be used as distribution centres for such seeds. If required, seeds must be procured from the National Seed Corporation, he said, directing agriculture secretary to take up the matter of getting these supplies at a 50 per cent subsidy.
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