VIJAYAWADA: THE State government has set Rs 8,500 crore crop loan target for this year and decided to organise a special drive from July 20 to August 7 to extend loans to farmers as well as tenants. Speaking to media persons in the Secretariat on Wednesday, Deputy Chief Minister (Revenue) Pilli Subash Chandra Bose and Agriculture Minister K Kannababu said as part of the special drive, meetings will be conducted in all villages to extend loans to farmers and tenants and also sensitise them on Kisan Credit Cards.

District Collectors, Joint Collectors and officials of the Agriculture Department will take part in the meetings. Asserting that the government came up with a new legislation to benefit farmers and also tenants, Bose said it will not harm the interests of land owners as it provides cultivation rights to the tenants for 11 months only. The government intends to extend Rythu Bharosa and other benefits to tenant farmers also.

While the Centre is extending the benefits of schemes only to farmers, the State government is providing the benefits to both farmers and tenants. Bankers should liberally extend loans to tenant farmers, he demanded. Stat ing that loans will be extended to all those having Crop Cultivator Rights Card (CCRC), Kannababu said 1.5 lakh more CCRCs will be issued in addition to the existing 4,02,229 cards in the State. Agriculture Advisory Boards will be set up in the State soon under the chairmanship of District Incharge Ministers.

Bountiful rains

Informing that the State received 51.5 per cent more than the normal rainfall this year, Agriculture Minister Kannababu said except Srikakulam, all other districts recorded good rainfall, which helps intensify farming operations in Kharif season.