Only 50 per cent Maha farmers got kharif loan

Mumbai: Only 50 per cent farmers in the state have received crop loan for Kharif season although the season is almost over. While the proposed outlay for Kharif loans was Rs 43,000 crore, actual loan disbursed so far is only around Rs 23,000 crore.

According to an official, this delay in loan disbursement was due to several factors, including previous unpaid debts that have rendered a number of farmers ineligible to get fresh loan.

These figures were revealed during a review meeting held recently in Pune, where officials of the cooperation department and representatives of all the banks were present. “The region that is worst hit in terms of loan disbursement is Marathwada, where proposed outlay was Rs 12,000 crore, but only Rs 3,000 crore has been disbursed,” the official said.

Around 15 lakh farmers in Marathwada region regularly seek crop loans. However, so far only 5.75 lakh farmers have received crop loan.

When asked about the loan disbursement figures, another official from the department said, “The government had introduced the loan waiver scheme (in June) last year. But it took a little long for the banks to actually get the money and clear the existing debts from the farmers’ accounts. Due to several such technical issues, debts of several farmers are yet to be cleared, which is why they are yet to become eligible for fresh loan.”