AURANGABAD: The Maharashtra government’s farm loan waiver scheme helped farmers wipe their slate clean, but 63% of them have again taken loans till May 31 this year.
According to a report from the State Level Bankers’ Committee, which has been submitted to the state agriculture minister, crop loans of 31.51 lakh farmers from across Maharashtra were waived off under the Mahatma Jyotirao Phule Karj Mukti Yojana.
Of these, 19.68 lakh or 63% farmers have availed of fresh crop loans.
The total amount of fresh crop loans issued this year to these farmers till May 31 is Rs 13,152 crores.
Most of these loans are in the range of Rs 25,000 to Rs 75,000 per farmer.
State agriculture minister Dada Bhuse said, “Our priority while introducing this loan waiver scheme was not only to repay the crop loans, but also to ensure that the farmers are not treated as defaulters.
Their CIBIL records should also be good to get new loans.” Bhuse said instructions have been given to the banks to ensure that all needy farmers readily get farm and crop loans, irrespective of whether they have benefited from farm loan waiver schemes.
Under the scheme floated by the MVA government, crop loan waiver has been given up to Rs 2 lakh for the amount obtained between April 1, 2015 and March 31, 2019.
Eligible farmers with loan amounts of over Rs 2 lakh will have to pay the remaining amount as a one-time settlement.
Officials said that loans totalling Rs 20,109 crore have been waived off in the state so far.
The scheme has benefited a large number of farmers from the Marathwada region who had faced crop failures due to drought, excess rainfall and even hailstorms.
Despite the lockdown, for the fiscal ending March 31, 2021, the state, cooperative as well as private banks have together achieved 77% of the given target by disbursing Rs 47,972 crore crop loans.
They had a target of Rs 62,459 crore.
For the financial year 2021-22, the annual credit plan (ACP) for crop loans is Rs 55,560 crore, while the potential linked credit plan (PLP) for crop loans has been set at Rs 79,190 crore.
Those privy to the development maintained that this year’s ACP is 3% less than last year’s ACP and 22% less as compared to PLP prepared by National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development.