15 banks shy away from agri loans

Nine of the 24 nationalised banks and six of the 14 private banks operating in Krishna district did not give a single rupee to farmers under crop loans during the 2005-06 financial year, according to statistics provided by Indian Bank, the lead bank in the district.

Eight nationalised banks and three private banks recorded zero performance in the non-farm sector. The public sector banks that figured on the list of zero performance with regard to agri loans were Allahabad Bank, Bank of India, Bank of Maharashtra, Dena Bank, Oriental Bank of Commerce, Punjab & Sind Bank, State Bank of Mysore, State Bank of Patiala, State Bank of Travancore, United Bank of India, and Vijaya Bank.

The private banks were Bharat Overseas Bank, Catholic Syrian Bank, Dhanalakshmi Bank, City Union Bank, Federal Bank, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, Karnataka Bank, Lakshmi Vilas Bank, South Indian Bank, and Tamilnad Mercantile Bank.

Deposits of 41 banks, including 24 nationalised, 14 private, two cooperative banks and AP State Financial Corporation, with 409 branches in the district touched Rs 6,54,838.06 lakh and advances Rs 5,51,343.04 lakh at the end of 2005-06 financial year.

All the banks together gave Rs 87,211.07 lakh crop loans as against a target of Rs 1,27,246.80 lakh. While the agri medium-term loans (AMTL) stood at Rs 7,967. 34 lakh (target 13,259.95 lakh), loans under agri allied activities (AAA) was at Rs 14,302.75 lakh (target Rs 14,330.75 lakh).

The private banks, with 32 branches in the district, gave only Rs 4,624.13 lakh (38 per cent) as against the target Rs 12,198.97 lakh in the priority sector during 2005-06. Of the cumulative target (priority and non-priority) of Rs 16,360.60 lakh, their performance was only a little over 50 per cent at Rs 8,346.17 lakh.

They gave crop loans totaling Rs 1,210.78 lakh (target Rs 3,070.89 lakh), and AMTL amounting to Rs 205.69 lakh (target Rs 705.90 lakh). Under AAA, they disbursed only Rs 425.72 lakh (Rs 1,477.20 lakh target), and under the non-farm sector Rs 244.36 lakh (Rs 3,095.24 lakh target).

Other priority sector loans totalled Rs 2,537 lakh (target Rs 3,849.74 lakh). These banks disbursed Rs 3,722.04 lakh (target Rs. 4,161.63 lakh) to the non-priority sector.

The natioanlised banks achieved Rs 1,79,552.03 lakh performance, a little over and above the total target of Rs 1,76,617.70 lakh.

Under crop loans, 298 branches of nationalised banks in the district advanced Rs 55,768.78 lakh (target Rs 78,076.69 lakh) and Rs 5,969.00 lakh (target Rs 6,927.94 lakh)under AMTL, under AAA Rs 12,014.03 lakh (target Rs 10,482.03 lakh), under the non-farm sector Rs 14,746.97 lakh (Rs 23,095.33 lakh), and under other priority sector loans (OPS) Rs 38,062.17 (target Rs. 28,092.14 lakh).

Under the priority sector Rs 1,26,561.16 lakh loans (target 1,46,674.13 lakh "� 86 per cent) was disbursed while under the non-priority sector it was Rs 52,990.87 lakh (target Rs 29,943.57 lakh).

The two cooperative banks, KDCC Bank and KDG Bank with 78 branches, advanced Rs 35,824.70 lakh (target Rs 64,938.22 lakh) with Rs 30,231.51 lakh going for crop loans (target Rs 46,009.22), Rs 1,792.65 lakh for AMTL (target Rs. 5,626.11), Rs 1,862.79 lakh for AAA (target Rs 2,371.52 lakh), Rs 1,495.23 lakh for non-farm sector (target Rs 7,591.72 lakh), Rs 875.29 lakh for OPS (target Rs 1,353.05 lakh).

In all, Rs 36,257.38 lakh was disbursed under the priority sector (target Rs 63,041.62 lakh). In the non-priority sector, the two banks gave Rs 867.32 lakh loans (target Rs. 7,649.29 lakh).