Agri
business centres
Sir,
This
letter has reference to the write-up by
Dr. Ram Chandra Sharma entitled
"Agri-technocrats ignored"
dated October 29, 2003. I fully endorse
Doctor Sahib's concern about increasing
unemployment among agricultural
graduates; The so called "Green
Agents" have been facing critical
unemployment problem.
In India,
employment opportunities are receding
year after year due to population
outburst and reducing cadre strength in
Government and public sectors. The recent
trend in the appointment of agriculture
graduates coming out different State
Agricultural Universities (SAUs) as well
as general universities has resulted in
their stagnation in this sector .
Government has now silently enunciated
that providing employment to each and
every educated youth is not possible
under present circumstances.
Agriculture
graduates can earn good money and also
the respect of farmers by providing them
hand holding support. The Ministry of
Agriculture, Govt. of India in
association with National Bank for
Agricultural and Rural Development
(NABARD) has launched an innovative
programme to take better methods of
farming to each every farmers of the
country by helping agriculture graduates
to set up Agri-clinics and Agri-business
centres. This programme aims to tap the
expertise available with large pool of
agriculture graduates irrespective of
whether they are fresh graduates or not,
currently employed or not. They can set
up their own Agri-clinic or Agri-business
centres and earn by providing paid
professional extension and advisory
services to innumerable farmers.
This
scheme is open to agriculture
graduates/graduates in subjects allied to
agriculture like horticulture, animal
husbandry, forestry, dairy, veterinary,
poultry farming, pisciculture,
apiculture, sericulture etc.
Before
setting up such a centre, interested
agriculture graduates will be provided a
specialized training to inculcate in them
required managerial and some technical
skills for setting up and running the
centre. This two-months training course
will be provided free of cost in various
institutes across the country. Initiated
by Small Farmers Agri-business Consortium
(SFAC) and coordinated by National
Institute of Agricultural Extension
Management (Manage), Hyderabad, the
course comprises entrepreneurship
development, business management as well
as skill improvement modules in the
chosen areas of activity.
After
getting training, they can apply for loan
for setting up the centre as per
provision in the scheme. An individual or
group of individuals is/are eligible for
availing of these loans. The maximum
limit for granting loan is Rs. 10 lakh
per head in case of individual centre and
Rs. 50 lakh in case of group project.
Depending on type of venture one wants to
set up and with the moratorium of up to 2
years, loans can be repaid with in 5-10
years as per easy instalment plans. The
rate of interest and security of loans
will be decided by respective banks as
per Reserve Bank of India (RBI) norms. It
must be made clear the sanctioning of
loan will be decided by bank in
consultation with concerned agencies on
the basis of the techno-economic
viability of project prepared by trainees
for setting up the centre.
Interested
agriculture graduates can correspond to
"P.B.No.1, Agri-clinic and
Agri-business Centre Cell, Manage,
Rajendranagar, Hyderabad-500030
(A.P.)" or Website www.manage. gov.
in and can mail their desire to
agripreneur. gov. in by Email. The
objective of this write-up is to create
awareness regarding the scheme among
agriculture graduates of Jammu and
Kashmir, as we are trailing behind and
lack proper communication relevant to
such type of developments at national
level. Lets think over it and decide.
Yours
etc...
Narinder Paul
W.No. 4, Hiranagar
|
