50,454 Kisan Credit Cards (KCC) have been distributed till December 17, 2021, as part of a national program to provide financial assistance to livestock farmers. The nationwide AHDF KCC campaign started on November 15, 2021, and it will continue till February 15, 2022. According to the government, KCC camps are held every week at the district level, wherein applications are reviewed on the spot.
Earlier from June 1, 2020, to December 31, 2020, a special campaign was held to provide low-interest loans to dairy farmers. Kisan Credit Cards were issued to 14.25 lakh new farmers as part of this program.
All qualified dairy farmers linked with milk unions who did not receive the incentive previously will be covered by the AHDF KCC campaign.
Government To Focus on Animal Husbandry
Without animal husbandry, the farmer's income cannot be doubled. This is why the government is putting all of its efforts into animal husbandry. They now have access to KCC, which was previously only available to growers.
Livestock Sector Provides Income To 8 Crore People
In addition to contributing to the national economy, the livestock sector provides a source of income for 8 crore rural people. India is one of the world's biggest milk producers.
This year, 198.48 million tonnes of milk were sold for a total of Rs 8.32 lakh crore. However, when compared to most other milk-producing countries, the productivity of Indian dairy cows is poor. Farmers do not receive a remunerative income from raising milch animals due to low productivity.
State Government’s Initiatives
Animal husbandry is also a major concern for certain state administrations. One of them is Haryana. The Pashu Kisan Credit Card Scheme is run by the government in this country. A loan of roughly Rs 800 crore has been offered to 60,000 farmers in the state under this scheme. In Haryana, almost 5 lakh cattle producers had applied for PKCC in banks. Around 1.25 lakh people have been allowed to receive cards. In the state, 36 lakh milch cattle have been reported, including 16 lakh families.
How Much Money is provided to buy Cow & Buffalo?
The Animal Husbandry Department has issued orders to establish Pashu Kisan Credit Card camps in all of the state's districts. Loans of up to Rs 3 lakh are available with only 4% interest for cow, buffalo, sheep, goat, and poultry husbandry under the scheme. There is a debt of Rs 40783 for each cow and Rs 60249 for every buffalo.
