The Department of Cooperation plans to give crop loans to the tune of ₹11,500 crore to farmers this fiscal, besides enrolling new members in Primary Agriculture Cooperative Societies, Minister for Cooperation I. Periyasamy has said.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday after chairing a meeting to review the operations of the Primary Agricultural Cooperative Banks (PACBs) and the cooperative banks of Tirunelveli, Tenkasi, Thoothukudi and Kanniyakumari districts, he said the PACBs had been instructed to enrol a greater number of farmers as new members before the disbursal of the crop loans.
Apart from giving loans to ‘farmer clusters’, PACBs have been instructed to give loans to individual farmers also. At the same time, giving loans through PACBs to non-farmers would be viewed seriously and due action would follow against the erring officials, he said.
On the availability of fertilizer, Mr. Periyasamy said the State government had stocked the fertilizers in adequate quantities across the State so that farmers could get it at the right time and at right prices for the ensuing crop season.
The Minister also promised to set up paddy direct procurement centres (DPC) in the places DPCs were required during the ensuing harvest. He also said the government would create cold storage facilities and ensure better procurement prices for banana and drumsticks.
Ministers Anita R. Radhakrishnan, P. Geetha Jeevan and T. Mano Thangaraj, Tirunelveli District Collector V. Vishnu and senior officials participated in the review meeting.
