Tenant farmers still await loan eligibility cards

MAHBUBNAGAR: The improved power supply to the agriculture sector this year has raised the hopes among thousands of tenant farmers in the district, but another serious crisis is unfolding for them. The Telangana government is yet to issue them new loan eligibility cards (LECs) even as the kharif season is already underway.
Revenue department officials, who deal with issues related to tenant farmers, said that the government wanted to change the LECs from this year."But we are not sure when the process will be completed. It is already late and we do not expect that all tenant farmers will want the cards at this point of time," an official said. Authorities have listed 16,987 tenant farmers in the district.
The LEC is meant to ensure agriculture loans and subsidies for seeds and fertilizers to the tenant farmers. Even the last time when LECs were issued in 2012, only about half the tenant farmers in the district managed to receive farm loans from banks. This time, even those who had the cards were turned away by the banks who said the existing LECs were issued by the government of united Andhra Pradesh.
For instance, K Venkatiah, a tenant farmer from Yenmangandla village of Nawabpet mandal, who leased three acres and obtained a tenant farmer card in 2011, did not manage to receive a loan from any bank. Since the land was leased for three years, he used it to raise grass to be sold as fodder for cattle. Though he has renewed his lease with the hope of a new LEC and a loan, he is still waiting for good luck to come his way.
Jangaiah, another tenant farmer from Nellikuduru village in Kalwakurthy mandal, said that even when he had a valid LEC, he could not obtain subsidised inputs as officials were issuing such inputs first to land owners and only then to tenant farmers. "We are always told to come back once they finish supplying land-owning farmers," he said.
In fact, there has been increasing opposition from land owners to the issue of LECs to tenant farmers. The owners fear that the tenants might misuse the card and claim their right over the leased land.
But for now, tenant farmers are in a quandary. "With uninterrupted power supply to the agriculture sector, we had planned to grow commercial crops in the leased land from this year. But the banks are not sanctioning loans and revenue officials are unable to take any action on this. Though we have power, we are unable to go further with our plans," said S Narsimha of Bheemaram village in Faroqnagar mandal.
When asked about the issue of LECs, joint collector M Ramkishan said that the government is planning to issue new cards. He said that the list of eligible farmers will be sorted out within a few weeks, after which the cards will be issued. "Once that is done, tenant farmers can avail loans and subsidised seeds and fertilizers by producing their cards," he said.