District Development Commissioner Doda, Vishesh Mahajan on Friday chaired a meeting and sensitization workshop focused on the effective implementation of Agriculture Credit Schemes in consonance with Holistic Agricultural Development.
Attendees included bankers, officials from NABARD and officers from the Agriculture and Allied sectors, alongside progressive farmers who participated both in-person and virtually.
During the meeting, the DDC emphasized the crucial need for seamless coordination at the Tehsil/Block level for the successful implementation of the Holistic Agriculture Development Programme (HADP). He urged bank officials and agriculture sector officers to prioritize the inclusion of small and marginal farmers, and to achieve 100% saturation of benefits under schemes such as the Kissan Credit Card (KCCS) and other central and UT schemes in the Agriculture and Allied sectors.
He directed representatives from NABARD, Lead District Manager (LDM) and the Deputy Registrar of the Cooperative Society and officials from the agriculture and allied sectors to synergize their efforts to realize the desired goals. They were instructed to facilitate the establishment of Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) involving marginal farmers and self-help groups (SHGs) for the cultivation of minor forest produce, flowers, fish rearing, vegetable growing and other agricultural products. Furthermore, LDM Doda and the NABARD representative were assigned the task of setting credit facility targets for farmers at each bank branch in the district, with a focus on supporting and guiding small and marginal farmers.
Recognizing the importance of agriculture and allied sectors as government priorities, the DDC informed attendees that a technical expert committee, led by the Additional District Development Commissioner, had already been formed to give suggestion for effective implementation of HADP. This Committee would identify potential areas in agriculture and allied sectors that could benefit from the Holistic Agriculture Development Programme (HADP). The committee’s responsibilities include providing technical and logistical support to farmers interested in entrepreneurial ventures, addressing the issue of low credit from banks, and resolving any obstacles hindering access to various loan schemes.
During interactive sessions, the bankers and departmental officials responded to queries raised by progressive farmers, as well as small and marginal farmers.
