The Union Ministry for Fisheries, Animal husbandry and Dairying has recently launched a nationwide campaign as part of the Aazadi Ka Amrit Mahostav celebrations. This campaign, known as the Nationwide Animal Husbandry, Dairying, and Fisheries (AHDF) KCC Campaign, will run from 1st May 2023 until 31st March 2024. The campaign’s primary objective is to extend the benefits of the Kisan Credit Card (KCC) to eligible farmers across the country.
About the Nationwide AHDF KCC Campaign
The AHDF KCC Campaign aims to offer credit facilities to small, landless farmers who are involved in animal husbandry and fisheries activities. The goal is to expand the benefits of the Kisan Credit Card – a financial product introduced in 1998 to provide timely credit support to farmers – to a broader segment of the agricultural population.
Previous and Current Campaigns
Since June 2020, the ministry, in collaboration with the Department of Financial Services, has carried out various initiatives to make the Kisan Credit Card accessible to all eligible animal husbandry and fishery farmers. Over 27 lakh fresh KCCs were sanctioned to farmers during these initiatives.
In the current campaign, District Level KCC Camps are being organized weekly to review applications from farmers. These camps are coordinated by the KCC Coordination Committee, under the guidance of the Lead District Manager (LDM).
Understanding the Kisan Credit Card
Introduced in 1998, the Kisan Credit Card was designed to provide much-needed credit support to farmers for cultivation, purchase of agriculture inputs, and other needs. Over the years, the scheme has been extended to include investment credit requirements of farmers and in 2018-19, even those in fisheries and animal husbandry.
Aims and Features of KCC
The Kisan Credit Card scheme primarily serves to meet the short-term credit requirements of farmers. This includes support for crop cultivation, post-harvest expenses, marketing of produce, consumption requirements, and maintaining farm assets. A KCC comes with an ATM-enabled RuPay debit card and requires Aadhaar seeding to avail interest subvention.
Implementing Agencies and Achievements
Several agencies, including Commercial Banks, Regional Rural Banks (RRBs), Small Finance Banks, and Cooperatives, are responsible for implementing the Kisan Credit Card scheme. As of February 25, 2022, a total of 2.92 crore KCCs have been issued with a sanctioned credit limit amounting to Rs. 3.20 lakh crores.
To encourage prompt repayment, the government offers an interest subvention of 2% and a further incentive of 3% to farmers on short-term crop loans up to Rs. 3 lakhs. This initiative has helped countless farmers secure the financial support they need without the burden of high-interest rates.
