Banks lend Rs 313 crore to farmers in Guntur

Forty-two banks advanced agriculture loans totaling Rs 313.12 crore to 81,313 farmers in Guntur district in the first quarter (April-June) of this financial year (2006-07), said Syed Rasool, lead district manager, Andhra Bank.

The beneficiaries included 1,546 new farmers (non-loanees), who were given Rs 33 crore loans. Guntur district is known to pursue the highest credit plan outlay in the state with highest achievement record (93 per cent in 2005-06).

This year, the banks in the district are targeting Rs 1,402 crore crop loans, Rs 380 crore agri-term loans, Rs 580 crore loans for small-scale units and Rs 508 crore loans for other priority sectors. This puts the annual credit plan outlay for 2006-07 at Rs 2,870 crore against last year's plan achievement of Rs 2,223 crore (target Rs 2,400 crore).

Rasool told Business Standard that Rs 260.94 crore crop loans had been advanced to 75,787 farmers. Under agri-term loans, Rs 19.35 lakh was released to 15 farmers for micro irrigation, Rs 31.40 lakh to 15 farmers for land development, Rs 6.16 crore to 205 farmers for farm mechanisation, Rs 67.10 lakh to 75 farmers for plantation and horticulture, and Rs 5.74 crore to 516 farmers under other programmes, taking the total to Rs 13.08 crore.

He said that under loans for agri-allied activity, Rs 39.09 crore was released to 4,683 farmers, including Rs 2.46 crore to 525 dairy farmers, Rs 2.62 crore to 16 farmers of poultry units, Rs 22.35 lakh to 30 farmers of sheep, goat and piggery units, Rs 22.60 lakh to five fisheries farmers, Rs 15.40 crore to 2,642 self-help groups, Rs 10.02 crore to 816 farmers for storing their produce in market yards, and Rs 8.15 crore to 649 farmers under other heads.

He said that apart from farm loans, Rs 1.74 crore was loaned to 177 handloom and powerloom weavers. While Rs 54.50 lakh went to 452 beneficiaries of tiny sector, Rs 10.40 lakh was given to 7 village industrialists, Rs 29.06 lakh to 83 rural artisans, and Rs 62.63 crore to 157 small-scale industrialists, thus taking the total amount disbursed in non-farm sector to Rs 72.74 crore.

Under other priority sector loans, Rs 78.18 crore had been released to 4,612 beneficiaries. These loans comprised Rs 1.69 crore to 120 transport operators, Rs 14.37 crore to 1,572 retail traders and small businessmen, Rs 1.96 lakh to 262 professionals and self-employed persons, Rs 5.40 crore to 393 students, Rs 31.54 crore housing loans to 1,473 seekers, Rs 5.16 crore consumption loans to 292 applicants, and Rs 18.07 crore other loans to 500 beneficiaries.

In all, 28,607 weaker section beneficiaries were given Rs 103.29 crore loans, 5,428 SC/ST beneficiaries Rs 18.51 crore, 9,259 women beneficiaries Rs 39.40 crore and 29,779 SF/MF Rs 119.16 crore.

He said the banks with 380 branches accumulated an outstanding loan amount of Rs 2,40,040.27 crore advanced to 9,89,258 farmers crore till the end of first quarter. Their total deposits touched Rs 4,44,740.96 crore and total advances Rs 6,01,100.13 crore.

These included 178 branches of 18 nationalised banks, 34 branches of 15 private banks, 84 branches of SBI and its subsidiaries, 51 branches of regional rural banks, 32 branches of DCCB, and an SFC branch.