Agriculture Minister V.S. Sunil Kumar has said the government has decided to provide interest-free loans to all farmers in the State.
Addressing a meeting of the district agriculture development committee here on Saturday, Mr. Sunil Kumar said the government had taken the decision in the wake of the recent deluge and its impact on the agriculture sector.
Many farmers were yet to get deserving compensation for their crop loss in the calamities as they had failed to insure their crops, Mr. Sunil Kumar said adding that farmers’ organisations and officials should sensitise the farming community on the significance of crop insurance.
‘'The services of workers under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) can be utilised for all agricultural works,’’ Mr. Sunil Kumar said. All grama panchayats should prepare a labour budget for the purpose, the Minister said.
The Legislative Subject Committee on Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Fisheries would hold a sitting on January 21 in the district to collect evidence on invoking the provisions of Securitisation and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Security Interest Act to recover loans given to farmers by some banks. C.K. Saseendran, MLA, presided.