The Government has decided to allow farmers to purchase seeds with the old high denomination bank notes of Rs 500 from the Centres, Units or Outlets belonging to the Central or State Governments, Public Sector Undertakings, National or State Seeds Corporations, Central or State Agricultural Universities and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), on production of proof of identity.
It is a big boost for the current Rabi crop as several cooperative leaders have been demanding govt’s intervention arising in the wake of demonetization. Cooperators argued that like a traveler at the railway station and a patient in the hospital, farmers should also be allowed to buy his requirements from cooperative stores furnishing his credentials.
Earlier, the govt had made provisions of making cash available with the farmers by permitting them to draw up to Rs 25,000 per week from their KYC compliant accounts subject to the normal loan limits and conditions apart from the other facilities announced on 17.11.2016.
Farmers Welfare Minister, Radha Mohan Singh thanked Prime Minister and Finance Minister for taking steps to alleviate difficulties of the farmers. The Government is committed to ensure that the farmers are suitably facilitated during the Rabi season, he said on Monday.
Though there is no provision of similar move in case of the fertilizers by the govt, leaders demand that by putting a limitation on the number of urea bags a farmer can buy govt should allow smooth availability of fertilizers to farmers too.