Crop payment adjusted against loan, Haryana farmers threaten agitation

Tribune News Service

Nitish Sharma
Kurukshetra, April 22

A 36-year-old farmer from Shahabad is worried as the wheat crop payment credited by the Food and Civil Supplies Department against the sale of his produce in his bank account got appropriated towards the interest in his Kisan Credit Card (KCC) account.

Not in our hands

The farmers are advised to maintain their accounts timely but they don’t pay attention. It is a policy matter and nothing can be done at the district level. Only the Finance Ministry and RBI can make a decision regarding NPA in KCC. Rajeev Ranjan, lead district manager, Kurukshetra

The farmer, requesting anonymity, said, “Due to poor returns in farming, I wasn’t able to return the loan on time. Things got worse this year as the yield dropped. Now, the money received in the account has been adjusted against the loan. The school fee for my children is pending and the money of the commission agent is to be returned. I also need money to sow the paddy crop. I met the branch manager and the senior officer but they have expressed helplessness.”

According to the bank, the farmer had been maintaining a Kisan Credit Card limit at PNB Kharindwa branch with an amount of Rs 5 lakh and his account was overdue since March 2020. No amount has been deposited in the account and it is going to become a non-performing asset (NPA) as per the statutory auditor.

In April, Rs 1,20,900 was credited in his account by the department and it has been appropriated towards the interest in his KCC account as per the right to appropriate rule of the bank for recovery in irregular account.

Meanwhile, Bhartiya Kisan Union (Charuni) has come out in support of the farmer and claimed that many other farmers are facing a similar situation.

BKU (Charuni) spokesperson Rakesh Bains said, “The government has been transferring the crop amount directly to the bank accounts of the farmers. The government had assured the union that the banks would not clear the loan amounts from the crop payment. Still, banks are transferring the amount which is unacceptable.

“The farmers are already not getting remunerative prices for their crops and the cost of production is more than the minimum support price. Moreover, the farmers have also suffered crop loss. In such a situation, how are the farmers supposed to survive? The money should be refunded. Otherwise, the union will give the call for an agitation. The union has also sent a letter to Principal Secretary, Haryana Government, in this context,” he said.

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