KCC becomes boon for farmers, loans available easily at low interest rates

Ranchi: Kissan Credit Card (KCC) has proved to be a boon for the farmers of the state as they are being provided loans at easy rates for farming.

Using this loan, farmers are buying seeds, fertilizers and necessary equipment for farming. With this, while farmers are getting help in farming, they are also getting freedom from the clutches of moneylenders. Chief Minister Hemant Soren has been very sensitive about the farmers. He had directed that more and more farmers of the state should be linked with KCC and they should get its benefits. As a result, till the first week of October 2021, Rs 68,516 lakh was sanctioned for the loans of 20,1687 beneficiaries of the state. Along with agriculture, loans are also being provided for fisheries and milk production.

Anu Oraon a resident of Kumharia village located in Kanke’s Pithoriya said that a big problem of farmers is to raise capital for farming and because of due to lack of capital, they are not able to buy fertilizers, seeds etc. on time. Anu Oraon said that after going to the block office, he got information about KCC and after which he applied for KCC. He used the loan received through KCC for drip irrigation and other farming-related works. Cucumber, tomato, cabbage were planted in two and a half acres of land he said adding that there was also the benefit of cultivating vegetables in the poly house. They are now preparing for watermelon cultivation for the next season. Anu says that the cost of cultivation of vegetables ranges from 80 to 90 thousand rupees per acre.

They can get three crops of vegetables in a year. After deducting all the expenses, there is a savings of up to Rs 1.5 lakh. Anu Oraon is also associated with Agro Kanke Farmers Company Limited. In this organization of local farmers, 150 farmers from Kumharia and surrounding villages are associated. About 50 farmers are from Kumharia village itself. Regarding KCC, he said that the biggest advantage in this is that theu can take loan as per their requirement that too at a very low interest rate.

Prakash Bhagat is a resident of Chundri Nawantoli village located in Ghaghra block of Gumla district. He got information about the benefits of Kisan Credit Card (KCC) from the head of the Panchayat. He said that earlier one had to take loan from moneylenders for agricultural work, but now he has benefited from KCC due to which he got freedom from the clutches of moneylenders. He said that he has seven acres of agricultural land. Out of which he cultivates paddy on half and wheat in half. He had taken a loan of Rs 46,000 from KCC. He used it in the cultivation of wheat and mustard. Adoption of new farming methods and hard work resulted in a good harvest. Prakash says that after deducting all the expenses, he made a profit of Rs 40,000 and has cleared their KCC loan and are now preparing for wheat cultivation.

Naresh Mahto, a resident of Manho Siladon village of Khunti got information about Kisan Credit Card (KCC) only a month ago. Knowing about the scheme, he completed the necessary process and applied for the loan. Naresh Mahto got a loan of Rs 50,000. Naresh has about five acres of land for agriculture. However, some of this land cannot be cultivated. Naresh has cultivated potatoes on 40 decimils of land. Apart from this he is preparing to plant wheat on one acre of land. Naresh Mahto said that KCC is a very good scheme. Due to this, farmers are getting a lot of convenience in getting fertilizers, seeds and tillage etc. for agricultural work.

On the orders of the Chief Minister KCC is being provided to the farmers on a war footing. Krishak Mitras, ATMs, BTMs and VLWs are travelling from village to village and getting KCC forms filled by farmers. As a result, this year unexpectedly maximum number of KCC applications have been filled. If the bank rejects some applications due to some error, then the employees of the Agriculture Department are also rectifying these applications and  resubmitting them in the bank said Nisha Oraon, Director, Agriculture Animal Husbandry and Cooperation Department