ONGOLE: District Collector B. Udaya Lakshmi has exhorted the bankers to extend financial assistance liberally to farmers who had lost their crops due to floods in the district this year.

Addressing a review meeting of bankers held here on Tuesday, Ms. Udaya Lakshmi said that crops were lost on 28,063 hectares causing an estimated production loss of Rs. 64.32 crores. Paddy crop was lost on 19,169 hectares in Karamchedu, Perchoor, Chirala and Chinaganjam mandals. She said that bankers would sanction a loan of Rs. 8,000 per acre to those farmers who had not availed any loan facility before. For those who had availed loan before and lost the crop, the banks would provide a loan of Rs. 4,000 per acre now.

She asked the agricultural officials to conduct survey on losses and submit mandal-wise details to bankers. Negotiations are going on with insurance companies at the State level to provide compensation to farmers for crop loss. She said that the farmers of Perchoor and Karamchedu lost paddy crops twice this year. When the crop was lost due to heavy rain in September, they re-transplanted the crop which was lost due to rain in October.

Compensation

The Government would pay a compensation of Rs. 1,875 per hectare of paddy, mirchi and cotton crops; Rs. 1,075 per hectare of maize, redgram, soyabean, blackgram; Rs. 2,500 per hectare of tobacco; Rs.1,250 for bajra, jowar and castor crops; Rs. 5,000 per hectare of banana plantation.

The Collector asked the bankers to extend financial assistance to handloom weavers who suffered loss of yarn, loom due to heavy rains in Chirala area. She appealed to bankers to expedite sanction of housing loans to beneficiaries under Rajiv Gruhakalpa taken up in Ongole, Chirala, Markapur and Kandukur towns. Andhra Bank deputy general manager Sudersan, Pinakini Grameena Bank general manager Krishna Murthi, Syndicate Bank regional manager N. Jayaprakash and lead bank manager Venkateswara Rao participated.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail