Rs. 230-cr. NCDC aid likely this year

By Our Special Correspondent

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, JULY 27. The National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) has processed projects involving an outlay of Rs. 230 crores for Kerala during the current financial year. These are expected to be cleared for funding a meeting of the State-level review and implementation committee on NCDC programmes, being convened here on Monday.

Of the total outlay on these new projects, a sum of Rs. 150 crores is for those meant for the benefit of small and marginal farmers and the weaker sections of society, according to the regional director of the NCDC, Mr. P. Chellathangam. The remaining amount of Rs. 80 crores is to be disbursed for various cooperative development programmes in the State.

The thrust areas for NCDC funding this year are agro-processing for value addition (Rs. 31 crores), storage and marketing of agricultural commodities (Rs. 9 crores), consumer activities (Rs. 5 crores) integrated cooperative development in four districts (Rs. 52 crores), coir projects (Rs. 10 crores), fisheries (Rs. 30 crores), spinning mills and handloom and powerloom cooperatives (Rs. 10 crores) and computerisation of cooperatives (Rs. 3 crores).

As an agency playing a key role in strengthening the cooperative movement in the country, NCDC had provided Rs. 442.68 crores for projects in Kerala so far. The loan component in this total assistance comes to Rs. 418.816 crores and the subsidy, Rs. 23.867 crores.

According to Mr. Chellathangam, NCDC has so far sanctioned 13 district based Integrated Cooperative Development Projects (ICDPs) in the State with emphasis on development of grass-root level cooperatives. These projects involve a total block cost of Rs. 146 crores.

The ICDPs in the districts of Wyanad, Palakkad and Kottayam, having a project cost of Rs. 18 crores, have been already implemented. Those sanctioned for Idukki, Pathanamthitta, Thrissur, Kasaragod, Kannur and Malappuram districts with an outlay of Rs. 71 crores are under implementation. The remaining four sanctioned projects (Rs. 57 crores) are to be launched this year in Kollam, Alappuzha, Ernakulam and Kozhikode districts.

For the development of fishermen's cooperatives, NCDC has so far sanctioned Rs. 104.70 crores under various projects. A project for helping fishermen buy canoes and another called the Integrated Fisheries Project have already been completed. The `Integrated Marine Fisheries Project - 2000-01', and a project for setting up fish marketing centres are under implementation.

In the agro-processing sector, NCDC has sanctioned projects worth Rs. 49 crores for setting up rubber processing units. The coir sector has benefited by the infusion of Rs. 51 crores from NCDC. Ten coir processing units have already been set up and eight are under implementation. Under the `Integrated Coir Development Project', coir cooperatives have established 40 mechanised coir defibering units and 109 coir spinning units.

Kerafed, the apex body of coconut farmers' societies, has utilised nearly Rs. 70 crores from NCDC under various programmes. Kerafed is currently implementing a few projects for manufacturing value-added coconut-based products using Rs. 13.5 crores from NCDC.

For consumer cooperatives, NCDC has so far provided Rs. 20 crores for constructing super markets and godowns and setting up other infrastructure facilities. For the computerisation of cooperatives, NCDC has so far extended assistance to the tune of Rs. 10 crores in the State, according to Mr. Chellathangam.

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Section  : Southern States
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