2,500 farmers sued for non-payment of agri loans

KHULNA, July 6 (BSS) :  A total of 2,500 farmers of nine upazilas of the district were sued on charges of non-payment of outstanding loans amounting to Tk 569.70 million ( Tk 56.97 crore).

Authorities of the 10 state-owned banks of Khulna have filed the certificate cases against the farmers last month.

The District Agriculture Loan Committee has asked Officers-in-Charge of all the upazila police stations to take necessary actions against the defaulters after receiving warrants already sent from the certificate court.

The state-owned banks which gave agriculture loans to the farmers of nine upazilas of the district are Krishi Bank, Sonali Bank, Janata Bank, Agrani Bank, Rupali Bank, BRDB Karma Shangsthan Bank, Shilpa Bank, Land Mortgage Bank and Cooperative Bank.

Deputy General Manager of Khulna Regional Branch of Krishi Bank Sharif Iqbal Hamid said that farmers could not repay their loans due to manifold problems, including political unrest, dull market in frozen shrimp export trade, recent fall in production in jute mills and lack of fair price of Aman and Boro paddy.

"We are trying our level best to dispose of the certificate cases providing defaulting farmers with some facilities including exemption of interest against loan", he said.

The president of District Agri Loan Committee and Deputy Commissioner of Khulna Mostofa Kamal directed the authorities concerned to dispose of as many cases as possible without buying any more time.