NABARD has Rs 30,000-crore credit plan for state

BHUBANESWAR: The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) on Thursday announced a credit plan of Rs 30,000 crore for the State for 2012-13. Last year the Bank had made a credit plan of Rs 25,000 crore. NABARD’s Chief General Manager (CGM), Odisha Circle, K K Gupta, said that the annual credit plan emphasised on farm mechanisation, dairy, fishery, storage godown and water resources as part of agriculture term loan. While Rs 1,486 crore has been earmarked for farm mechanisation, ` 540 crore is provided for dairy and Rs  416 crore for fishery, Rs 383 crore for water resources and Rs 461 crore for storage godown, Gupta said at the State credit seminar organised by the Bank here.   The NABARD CGM further said that Bank had provided Rs 10,401 crore for refinance under short-term crop loan while another Rs 11,126 crore for priority sector lending. The target for non-farming sector lending has been set at Rs 3,674 crore. Last year, NABARD has crossed its annual credit plan of Rs 16,915 crore by disbursing Rs 17,112 crore in the state.  The NABARD credit Plan has focused on boosting rural tourism, food processing, agro-industries, revival of handloom sector, maintenance of industrial estates, skill development as part of its activities in rural non-farm sector. In order to encourage farm mechanisation, the national bank proposes to encourage farmers to use small farm equipment, second hand machinery, small tractors as part of its endeavour for mechanisation of farm sector. Attending the State Credit Seminar, Finance Minister Prafulla Chandra Ghadei emphasised on inclusive growth by covering maximum number of people under the credit network. He further emphasised on more support to the farmers on infrastructure development like construction of cold storage, godowns and market yards. Chief Secretary BK Patnaik, Development  and Agriculture Production Commissioner R N Senapati and Principal Secretary of Finance Jugal Kishore Mohapatra spoke.