ELURU: Minister for Agriculture N. Raghuveera Reddy on Tuesday said that the State Government was examining the proposal to reschedule agricultural loans in flood-hit areas.

Interacting with farmers in the affected areas in West Godavari district, he said the Government was holding a bankers' meeting in Hyderabad on August 22 to decide on the issue.

Fresh loans

The Government decided to arrange fresh loans at the rate of Rs. 1,000 for each affected farmer through banks so as to help them procure seed and fertilizers for the next crop, he added.

Mr. Raghuveera Reddy informed that the Government was making every effort to provide Rs. 80 crores towards crop insurance to farmers whose crops were damaged in the district in a week.

Transparency

Compensation under the crop insurance scheme would paid be for the damaged crops up to an extent of five acres, he said.

Transparency would be ensured in implementing the scheme by paying compensation only in the form of cheques.

The Government would make available seeds to farmers on 50 per cent subsidy.

Farmers raising vegetable and horticultural crops were also eligible for claiming the subsidised seeds, he said.

Financial loss

Collector Lav Agarwal briefed the Minister that the district suffered a financial loss of Rs. 35 crores in the recent flash floods as per preliminary reports.

A full picture would be emerged after completion of the enumeration exercise, he said.

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