GUWAHATI, Sept 24 - In a respite to fish farmers of the State who are going through trying times on account of the COVID 19-induced pandemic situation, succor came to them in the form of institutionalised credit on September 24. KCCs were distributed to 200 fish farmers and 50 women Self Help Groups (SHG) at Borbeel, Nagaon. This credit linkage, Rs 50,000 for each farmer, and Rs 1 lakh for each SHG, has been extended to the farmers by Punjab National Bank (PNB).
�Easy and hassle-free access to funds during the Covid-19 induced pandemic situation will act as a buffer for the Aquaculture sector in Assam and also give an impetus to institutionalised credit.� This was the observation of SS Saha, CGM, National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), while addressing this credit camp organized on the occasion of 14th foundation day of non-government organization Kalong-Kapili.
The camp was attended by SS Singh, Zonal General Manager, PNB, North East, and many other senior bankers.
Speaking on the occasion, Singh said that credit support to people engaged in pisciculture will boost the rural economy of Assam. �Availability of funds is a big morale booster for the farmers as they will be able to manage their requirements to improve productivity,� he said, adding that sometimes productivity is stalled on account of challenges that can be attended even through small financial aids. Urging upon the banking sector to play a more proactive role in extending credit, Singh said that Assam has immense scope in pisciculture and called upon the youth to become self-reliant by adopting scientific methods of fish farming.
In his welcome address, Jyotish Talukdar, founder-director of Kalong-Kapili shared his insights on pisciculture and credit linkage and said that scientific and climate smart methods of fish farming should be popularized as that will not only enhance income for the farmers, but will also sustain ecological balance.
Dr Niranjan Deka, Principal Scientist and Head of KVK, Nagaon, said that KVK has been providing technical support for development of agriculture and allied activities including pisciculture, and will continue to do so. Many other dignitaries and officials participated in the camp.
The programme was attended by a large number of villagers, mostly beneficiaries of NABARD�s Tribal Development Programme that was implemented by Kalong-Kapili in 2015. �The KCC has come to us at the right time as we can now invest this money in improving our work,� said Bablu Khaklari.
