Thanjavur: Poor repayment will affect fresh farm loans, says coops registrar

THANJAVUR: Tamil Nadu government has set a target of Rs 311 crore for disbursal as co-operative crop loan this year for Thanjavur district, said M. Ekambaram, joint registrar of cooperatives here on Friday.

Speaking at the Farmers' grievances day meeting at the collectorate, he said out of this Rs 92 crore have been disbursed so far to 12,000 farmers.

Farmers from Thiruvonam panchayat union said that crop loans have not been disbursed by five Primary Agriculture Co-operative credit societies in the union.

Because of this they were not able to take up 'samba' cultivation.

To this Ekambaram replied that repayment in the district was only 48 per cent and repayment of old loans in Thiruvonam panchayat union was very poor and hence there is delay in disbursing loans.

Mr. A. Annadurai, Thanjavur district collector said that kuruvai (short term crop) was raised on 31, 167 hectares in the district in pump-set irrigated areas. Harvest has been completed on 25,112 hectares. Samba (long-term crop) transplantation has been completed on 25,140 hectares so far.

Farmers from Thiruvonam panchayat union attended the meeting wearing black badges. The collector said that with respect to Kudimaramathu and de-silting to be taken up by PWD, farmers can prepare the list of works to be taken up and submit so that next year, works could be started earlier.

Farmers also said that relief had not yet reached many ryots whose coconut trees had been uprooted in the Gaja cyclone affected areas last year.

Mr. Annadurai said that crop insurance relief had been given to farmers for kharif season 2018-19. A sum of Rs 95 lakh has been disbursed to 2,828 farmers. For Rabi season Rs 9 crore had been allotted for providing crop insurance relief to 1,40,362 farmers.

Soon the amount will be deposited in the bank accounts of the farmers, the collector added.