Cooperative banks to give loans for entrepreneurs

Kolkata: In a significant stride towards entrepreneurship development particularly in the ornamental fisheries sector, the state cooperative

banks will now chip in with loans for entrepreneurs in this business.

"The cooperative banks will now offer loans to entrepreneurs who want to take up business in the fisheries sector that includes ornamental fisheries. This will make loan availability hassle-free. Our government is laying emphasis on cluster development across the state to provide a boost in the business of ornamental fisheries," said M V Rao, additional chief secretary of Panchayats and rural development and cooperation department during a workshop on 'Ornamental Fisheries' organised by National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) in coordination with the state Panchayats department.

A number of businessmen in the sector pointed out inordinate delay in getting loans from the banks that goes up to two years or more.

"Bank loans are available only after an SHG is formed and individual entrepreneurs would hardly get loan. The terms and conditions of loan imposed upon an entrepreneur are very difficult to meet and this dissuades people from venturing in the trade," said Kripan Sarkar who has his own fish farm at Jalpaiguri.

Sarkar also appealed to the state government officials to offer some sort of subsidy when it comes to payment of electricity bills for the farmers who are into ornamental fish business. "Electricity in agriculture is subsidised and the rate is Rs 4 per unit. I will urge the state government to charge the same for fish farmers too. For those who have a thriving business the electricity tariff per unit goes Rs 10 per unit," Sarkar said.

Rao assured that he will take up the matter with West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Company Ltd. He said that the department is structuring the training programme in a manner so that people get the opportunity to train from people who have been successful in the trade.

It may be mentioned Bengal had exported 7.61 tonnes of this type of fishes at an amount of Rs 4.1 crore in 2018-19 fiscal. The districts in the state that are leading in this sector are Howrah, Hooghly, Nadia,

North Dinajpur, Jalpaiguri, East Midnapore, and South 24-Parganas.