The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Erode News : Loans to unemployed agricultural graduates

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Oct 31, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Erode

Loans to unemployed agricultural graduates

By Our Staff Reporter

ERODE, OCT. 30. To utilise growing number of unemployed agricultural graduates, the Reserve Bank has directed the nationalised banks to start Agri Clinic/ Agri Business Centres in all the districts.

Accordingly in the Erode district, the Gobichettipalayam branch of the Canara Bank has advanced loans to three unemployed agricultural graduates for starting agricultural-oriented business, the Assistant General Manager, Canara Bank, S.V. Krishnamoorthy, told newspersons here recently. Two more persons would also be granted loan soon.

He said at present the farming community gets technical guidance from the agricultural extension services of the Agricultural department.

"Due to the inadequate field level staff, they could not reach all the farmers." Similarly, farmers now get their inputs from various retail outlets, which are not having any technical knowledge.

He said that under the agri clinic scheme, the unemployed agricultural and allied field graduates such as Agriculture, Horticulture, Veterinary Science, Dairy Science, Forestry and Fisheries are encouraged to take up ventures, so that they can do laboratory analysis and consultative work for the farmers in the field of agriculture, animal husbandry, foresting etc and simultaneously they are also encouraged to take up business ventures to supply the required inputs, provide equipment, machineries on hiring basis, providing marketing facilities, storage structures etc.

25 graduates to benefit

Mr. Krishnamoorthy said that before the end of this year loan would be granted to minimum 25 agriculture graduates. He said for starting such trade such as fertilizer and pesticides shop, the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University is imparting three months training to the agricultural graduates in Coimbatore.

He said Canara Bank have taken several steps to popularise the scheme and conducted awareness campaign.

Grant up to Rs. 10 lakh

The Lead District Manager, K. Palanivelu, said that each graduate, irrespective of age is eligible to obtain loan up to Rs. 10 lakh with marginal rate of interest of 10.75 percent. He also said that Canara Bank is pioneer in starting such clinic in Tamil Nadu, as only in Gobichettipalayam branch of Canara Bank in the State advanced loan under the scheme to three agricultural graduates.

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