Farmers to get crop loans worth Rs 20,000 crore

HYDERABAD: The state government is expecting a bumper crop production of 1.22 crore metric tonnes during the ensuing kharif season, about 10 per cent more than the corresponding period during last year.The officials have set a target of providing crop loans worth Rs 20,300 crore to farmers through banks during kharif season.Chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy directed the district collectors to ensure that 26 lakh tenant farmers receive the loan eligibility cards during the season and enable them to obtain crop loans from banks without any hassles.He wanted the officials to complete distribution of Rs 610 crore to 23 lakh farmers towards input subsidy within the next 10 days.While the state government has about 6.5 lakh MT of fertilisers currently, the chief minister asked the district collectors to keep buffer stock to meet the demands of farmers when the need arises.The officials were instructed to be well prepared for the ensuing kharif season and also face any eventualities during the South West Monsoon.Addressing the district collectors during a video-conference at the Secretariat here on Saturday, Kiran Kumar Reddy said that the demand for a particular brands of BT cotton seeds from farmers is resulting in problems.He said that though the state government has supplied about 54 lakh packets of seeds as against the requirement of 91 lakh packets, farmers were agitating for particular brands of seeds.The officials were asked to create awareness among farmers on the variety of seeds available and their quality apart from initiating stringent action against persons who are indulging in black-marketing and illegal stocking of seeds across the state.With the ‘Education Fortnight’ scheduled to be held from June 13 to 25, the district collectors and district education officers were directed to enrol all children above the age of five years into the schools.As part of the programme, enrolment of children above the age of five years will be taken up during the first week and children’s entitlement week will be observed during the second week for distribution of uniforms and textbooks, and laying foundation stone for new school buildings across the state.