| In addition to cash loan through the card, the farmer can also avail of crop loans from ICICI Bank to procure fertilisers, seeds, pesticides, diesel and other agriculture inputs. The bank launched the kisan loan card in Devarapalli in Andhra Pradesh. |
| By using this card, a tobacco farmer would be able to avail loans through an electronic card with easy access to withdrawal of cash through automated teller machines (ATM). To facilitate withdrawal through ATMs, the bank has installed four ASAN low-cost ATMs, designed for rural India. |
| The rural ATM is designed by NCR which ensures smooth running in spite of power failures and the bank has incurred a cost of Rs four lakh per machine, said Zarin Daruwala, general manager and head-rural, microbanking and agri business group, ICICI Bank. |
| "At present, only tobacco farmers associated with the Tobacco Board can avail of this facility, however, we plan to extend it to other farmers also," she added. |
| "Over 6,000 farmers are affiliated to the Tobacco Board (Andhra Pradesh), of which, we have signed up around 1,000 farmers," she said. |
| UTI Bank early this week launched a kisan credit card called Kisan Power. This card enables the farmers to avail crop loan through bank branches. The bank is contemplating the proposal of withdrawal of loan amount through ATMs, said R Asok Kumar, president-credit, UTI Bank. |
| HDFC Bank and IDBI Bank provide input-linked credit, post-harvest credit and credit against warehouse receipts. |
| A senior IDBI bank official said that the bank, at present, has no inclination to launch such a product as the end use of funds through this card is not ensured. |
| The bank has a product for lending to farmers where quality inputs are ensured through dealers of reputed manufacturers, which helps the farmer to have quality products to ensure productivity. |
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