JOIN USVRDF to open centre for helping farmers in Udupi
Vijaya Rural Development Foundation (VRDF), which is sponsored by Vijaya Bank will provide a platform for farmers in Udupi to promote the direct selling of their produce in the absence of middlemen, said Vijaya Bank Chairman and Managing Director H S Upendra Kamath. This is being done on an experimental basis.
Speaking at the 21st annual general body meeting of VRDF at Vijaya Bank regional office in Mangalore on Monday, Kamath said the beneficiary farmers under various programmes of VRDF will be provided an opportunity to sell their crops through direct marketing. Vijaya Bank has contributed Rs one lakh for setting up of the market and the market is likely to open within two months, he said.
In response to the demands of the Village Development Committee (VDC) members to open similar markets in other places too, Upendra Kamath said that though the Bank can not venture into opening markets, as it is not the part of banking sector, the Bank would definitely earmark funds for opening markets for farmers in a few places where there was demand.
“As there has been demand to open an agriculture market in Konaje, the Bank would consider the proposal and a grant of Rs one lakh to establish the market would be released. However, it is the responsibility of the VDC members to provide a piece of land for the purpose,” he said.
He also promised that the Bank would encourage the members by making budgetary allocations, if the members take up an initiative to start self-employment training institutes.
More committees
As many as 5,630 members have registered with VRDF who were the beneficiaries of over 120 programmes the previous year. The Bank has chalked out 141 programmes for this year, of which 13 have already been implemented. “We will come up with more number of committees specially in Dakshina Kannada, Dharwad, Mandya and Haveri districts, for the benefit of rural people,” said Kamath.
He gave a call for the bank managers to provide service to the needy and the poorer section of the society. “Even after six decades of independence, the poor farmers are finding it difficult to have two square meals a day. When majority of the population needs our help, we the bankers should ensure that no loan application is rejected without a valid reason,” stressed the CMD.
One of the VDC members suggested the CMD to take up an initiative to start group insurance for crops, so as to help the farmers during crop loss. “Despite all the efforts, the farmers are quite sure of incurring loss this year due to deficit rainfall. Hence, insurance would help us to recover the loss,” the farmer said.
Awards were given to four best Village Development Committees under VRDF on the occasion.