Rythu Bandhu Scheme gets poor response in Srikakulam

Srikakulam: Rythu Bandhu Scheme is getting poor response in the district due to lack of proper awareness and failure of concerned officials to popularise the scheme among farmers. As per guidelines of the scheme, a farmer can get 75 per cent worth of loan amount out of the total cost of produce by depositing his agriculture harvest. The maximum amount of loan for each farmer is Rs 2 lakh and farmer can avail the loan after mortgaging his produce with the marketing department.

The agriculture produce would be stored at 14 godowns in agriculture market committees (AMCs) in the district. Only 250 farmers availed this loan facility in last year. Till six months from the date of sanction of loan, farmer need not pay interest. After six months till nine months interest rate is only 12 per cent on the loan amount. State government allotted Rs 7.50 crore funds for the scheme but only 15 farmers have applied for the loan at Palakonda, Narasannapeta AMCs out of the total 14 AMCs.

In all 14 AMCs, the godowns storage capacity is 50,000 metric tonnes but in any year the stored quantity not crossed even 5,000 metric tonnes for availing loan facility. Farmers have no idea and concerned department officials like marketing and agriculture have failed to create awareness among farmers on the scheme.

"This year, we are going to create awareness among paddy farmers on Rythu Bandhu scheme at massive scale to utilise the facility," stated assistant director for marketing B Srinivasa Rao to The Hans India.