Question : CREDIT TO AGRICULTURE SECTOR

(a) whether the commercial banks and the cooperative credit outlets are lagging behind their targets of providing credit to the agriculture sector during the current year as per the report on the trend and progress of banking in India 2008-09 released by Reserve Bank of India (RBI);

(b) if so, the details of the targets set and the achievements made against them as regards the credit flow to the agriculture sector as on date during the current year, bank-wise; and

(c) the reasons for the poor credit off-take in the farm sector and Government`s reaction thereto?

THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF FINANCE (SHRI S.S. PALANIMANICKAM)

(a) to (c): The target for credit flow to the agriculture sector for the year 2009-10 and the disbursement there against (provisional) by Commercial Banks, Cooperative Banks and Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) respectively upto 30-09-2009 (01-04-2009 to 30-09-2009) as reported by NABARD is as under:

(Rs. in crqre)
Sr. No.	Name of the Agency	Target	Achievement as on 30-09-2009	Achievement	(provisional)	in % age

1	Commercial Banks	250,000	92, 595.08	37.04

2	Cooperative Banks	45,000	27,704.85	61.57

3	RRBs	30,000	17,531.31	58.44

Total	325,000	137,831.24	42.41