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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Farm credit target to see 20% rise to Rs 4,50,000 cr by Dheeraj Tiwari

Farm credit target to see 20% rise to Rs 4,50,000 cr by Dheeraj Tiwari

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published Published on Feb 9, 2011   modified Modified on Feb 9, 2011
The budget for the next fiscal is likely to step up the target for farm credit to 4,50,000 crore, up 20% from the current year's 3,75,000 crore.

With the agriculture sector seen growing at 5.4% in the current fiscal, the government will push banks to disburse more to the sector to maintain the momentum, said a senior government official.

The upheavel in the micro-finance sector will also necessitate greater lending by banks.

"The micro-finance sector, which has been an important source of credit to the acriculture sector, however, faces some troubles," the government's mid-year review released in December had stated.

The target for 4,50,000 crore is expected to include direct farm credit of 2,70,000 crore and indirect credit of 1,80,000 crore.

Around 30% increase in credit disbursed through Kisan Credit Cards is also not ruled out, the official said.

Indian Banks Association data show credit flow to agriculture in fiscal 2010-11 up to November 30 stands at 2,60,463 crore, about 70% of the annual target of 3,75,000 crore.

High food inflation has exposed severe shortcomings in the farm sector and its ability to meet food security. Farm productivity needs to rise significantly to feed a rising population and adjust to changes in consumption. For instance, demand for pulses, fruit and vegetables, milk, eggs and meat has risen sharply as incomes have grown. The average food inflation in the 52 weeks to January 22 was 17.33%.

Higher farm credit, which will allow greater use of inputs, will be vital if farm productivity is to be increased. Credit disbursement has increased over four times from 86,981 crore in 2003-04 to 366,981.82 crore (provisional) in 2009-10.

Last fiscal, the government had increased the lending target for farm sector by 15% to 3,75,000 crore from 3,25,000 crore in 2009-10.

Banks are confident of meeting these higher targets. "What is important is that equal investments should flow in developing infrastructure in the sector such as warehouses and cold storage so that enhanced productivity is not left underutilised," said the IDBI executive director and head corporate banking, BK Batra.

The government wants to make sure that such lending does not lead to a spike in non-performing assets of banks. RBI data show that the total NPAs in agriculture stood at 8,330 crore at the end of March 2010.

The 2% interest subsidy on timely repayment of loans is likely to continue. The effective cost of short-term crop loan comes to 5% if a farmer repays his debt on time.

Under the current norms, banks are required to set aside 18% of their total advances for agriculture. It is included in the target of 40% to all sectors classified as "priority" by the Reserve Bank of India .

The Economic Times, 8 February, 2011, http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/farm-credit-target-to-see-20-rise-to-rs-450000-cr/articleshow/7457114.cms


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