CM Pema Khandu launches credit-linked Agriculture-Horticulture schemes

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ITANAGAR: Arunachal Pradesh, on Friday, launched two credit-linked schemes in the State to boost agriculture and horticulture sectors and to ensure doubling of farmer's income in tune with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's clarion call for 'Atma Nirbhar Bharat'.

The schemes will be implemented with government subsidy, bank credit and beneficiary contribution in the ratio of 45:45:10, for which an amount of 60 crore each, has been earmarked for both the sectors.

"The government has earmarked a subsidy amount of Rs 60 crore against the newly launched Atma Nirbhar Krishi Yojna (ANKY) in the agriculture sector and another Rs 60 crore against the Atma Nirbhar Bagwani Yojana (ANBY) in the horticulture sector under the credit linked schemes, said Agriculture & Horticulture Secretary Bidol Tayeng.

Under both the schemes, end-to-end holistic approach has been made, covering pre-production production, post-harvest management, processing and marketing to assure appropriate returns to growers and producers in the State.

The objective of these schemes is to promote credit discipline and encourage banking sector to support ground level agriculture and horticulture activities besides ensuring timely availability of funds.

The schemes can be availed by any individual farmers as well as self help groups and Farmer Producers Organizations (FPOs) and if any, individual farmer avails the scheme within 1.6 lakh, no collateral or bank guarantee would be required and for SHGs (Self Help Groups) availing the scheme within or up to 10 lakhs, no collateral or bank guarantee would be required.

The scheme will be distributed across the state and the applicants need to apply at the concerned deputy commissioner office in their respective districts. About Rs 300 crore investments would be done in the sector, out of which government subsidy component would be of Rs 120 crore.

The State government during the launch of the schemes also signed Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) with State Bank of India, Arunachal Pradesh Rural Bank and State Cooperative Apex Bank, for proving loans to the farmers and SHGs.

Launching the schemes in a function organized at the Civil Secretariat here, Chief Minister Pema Khandu informed that the State-level and the district-level committees have been constituted for selection of beneficiaries for the schemes.

He also said that the district-level committees headed by the respective Deputy Commissioners, District Agriculture Officers and District Horticulture Officers, would select the beneficiaries and submit the list to the state level committees for approval.

Khandu appealed the officials of both the departments to stick to the timeline for the schemes saying that agri and horti departments cannot be compared with other departments as both deals with schemes on seasonal basis.

"Arunachal has 25 lakh hectares of cultivable area for agriculture and horticulture activities of which only 2.5 lakh hectares has been put to use. If the remaining area could be exploited, the sectors will improve drastically," pointed out Khandu.

The Chief Minister added that the Prime Minister has a vision for development of agri and horti sectors in Northeast for which the North Eastern Regional Agricultural Marketing Corporation Limited (NERAMAC) is under the process of revival.

"The revival of the regional marketing board will tremendously help the farmers of the region," said Khandu , adding that the Union Cabinet has approved oil palm mission with an outlay of Rs 11,040 crore.

"Slow coverage of oil palm cultivation in the State was due to lack of commitment from the promoters in setting up of processing factories that had led to losing of confidence among the farmers. A MoU with one of the promoters was cancelled and meetings called with the existing ones to fast track the mission," said the Chief Minister.

Appealing to the banking institutions to help the State's farmers by providing loans in their ventures, Khandu said that banking institutions should go for improving the credit-deposit ration which is possibly only through providing loans.

Speaking on the occasion, Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein urged upon the MLAs not to interfere in selecting beneficiaries for the schemes and added that the Deputy Commissioners should select genuine beneficiaries.

"We should go for quality planting materials and should try to produce such materials in the State. We should try to convert Arunachal as the fruit bowl of the region as well as the country with the favourable climatic condition and suitable land for cultivation," added Mein. State Agriculture & Horticulture Minister Tage Taki in his deliberation asserted to work for making the farmers of the state 'atma nirbhar' in the next three to four years. Speaking on the occasion, Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar called for concerted efforts to create wonders in the agri and horti sectors of the State.

Also Read: Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu seeks more areas under palm oil

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