HYDERBAD: (AMN) Andhra Pradesh Government has announced a waiver of interest on crop loans to the farmers who suffered losses due to the recent rains and Jal cyclone. Speaking in the Assembly, Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy said that interest over the crop loans disbursed during the year in the cyclone affected areas would be waived to tune of 350 crore rupees. This is the first time that the state government has waived interest on crop loans.
Chief Minister also announced a series of measures to protect the interests of farmers who bore the brunt of heavy rains for 5 times during single crop season. To enable farmers to take up the next crop, the state Government has now decided to increase the input subsidy to Rs 6000 per hectare from the present Rs 4500 for paddy, mirchi, cotton and groundnut in the affected areas.
In the allied sectors, the subsidy for milching animals rose to Rs 15000 from the present Rs 10000. Similarly, weavers will get Rs 5000 for their looms and fishermen will get up to Rs 10000 for bigger boats as subsidy. More over, the state Government has urged the centre to declare the recent heavy rains as national calamity and relax norms of the Food Corporation of India so that the discoloured paddy can be procured. However, the opposition parties have demanded the Government to announce a package for farmers, who suffered huge losses especially during harvesting season. A Bonus of Rs 200 over and above the Minimum Support Price to paddy farmers and a higher amount of input subsidy were also sought.