Axis Bank, India’s third largest private sector bank, has formed Farmers’ Club across 12 States in association with the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) to develop rural areas through credit, technology transfer, awareness and capacity building.

Under this club, 106 farmers were promoted through 16 agri business centres of Axis Bank over the last one year, the private lender said in a statement.

Farmers’ Club is a grass-root level informal association comprising 10-15 farmers of the same or nearby villages promoted by rural/semi-urban branches.

M.V. Subramanian, President-Rural and Inclusive Banking, Axis Bank, said: “One major benefit has been quality agriculture business generation through these clubs. We are confident of timely repayment of these loans, owing to the increase in farm productivity to be achieved through concerted efforts with scientific cultivation practices.”

Introduced to bridge the gap between rural customers and banks, Farmers’ Club has undertaken activities ranging from base-level orientation training programme, capacity building exercise and ‘meet the expert’ programme that encouraged the culture of better credit usage.

Along with regular training and nurturing of clubs by Nabard along with regular interaction with various stakeholders like state government departments, input agencies build the required confidence and the knowledge-level of members.

Trained members are encouraged to pass on the technologies they have learnt to their fellow farmers in the villages thus making the Farmers Club a tool in the overall development of village.

Farmers Clubs are in 12 States of Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Utharakand, Kerala, Punjab and Gujarat.

Beena.parmar@thehindu.co.in

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