Shillong, Feb 24: The 1st State Bankers’ Council anchored by the Meghalaya Farmers’(Empowerment) Commission (MFEC) in collaboration with the Institute of Hotel Management, Catering Technology and Applied Nutrition, Shillong,
The meeting was held on the 23rd February 2022 to deliberate on ‘Accelerating the flow of credit to the Primary sector through targeted interventions with specific reference to the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF).’
The Council was chaired by Shri. K.N. Kumar, Chairman, Meghalaya Farmers’ (Empowerment) Commission, and attended by officials of various departments and bankers of the state.
As it was the first meeting of the Council, the members were briefed by the Chairman about the mandate, roles and responsibilities of the Meghalaya Farmers’ (Empowerment) Commission followed by presentations on the activities of the Commission.
The presentations on investments opportunities in the livestock sector by Shri. G.H.P. Raju, IPS, Principal Secretary, Animal Husbandry and Veterinary, Agriculture Infrastructure Fund by Shri. James P. George, Deputy General Manager, NABARD, activities and modalities of PRIME by Shri. Flo Oberhofer, Programme Head, PRIME Startup Hub and a Fruit Winery proposal by the IHMCTAN.
The Council was marked by a lively open house session wherein the various issues plaguing the flow of credit to farmers and agri-preneurs were placed before the Council along with suggestions for redressal and resolution.
Key issues highlighted were the low utilization of assistance available under the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF) for Meghalaya, credit hesitancy, financial literacy and means of easing credit flow to farmers.
