The government has approved the continuation of Modified Interest Subvention Scheme (MISS) for the financial year 2024-25.
Accordingly, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has notified, “(i) In order to provide short term crop loans and short term loans for allied activities including animal husbandry, dairy, fisheries, bee keeping etc. upto an overall limit of Rs 3 lakh to farmers through KCC at concessional interest rate during the year 2024-25, it has been decided to provide interest subvention to lending institutions viz. Public Sector Banks (PSBs) and Private Sector Banks (in respect of loans given by their rural and semi-urban branches only), Small Finance Banks (SFBs) and computerized Primary Agriculture Cooperative Societies (PACS) ceded with Scheduled Commercial Banks (SCBs), on use of their own resources. This interest subvention will be calculated on the loan amount from the date of disbursement/drawal up to the date of actual repayment of the loan by the farmer or up to the due date of the loan fixed by the banks, whichever is earlier, subject to a maximum period of one year.”
The applicable lending rate to farmers and the rate of interest subvention for the financial year 2024-25 will be as follows:
Lending rate to farmers: 7%
Rate of Interest Subvention to Lending Institutions: 1.50%
An additional interest subvention of 3% per annum will be provided to such of those farmers repaying in time, i.e., from the date of disbursement of the loan/s upto the actual date of repayment or upto the due date fixed by the banks for repayment of such loan/s, whichever is earlier, subject to a maximum period of one year from the date of disbursement.
RBI said that the farmers repaying promptly as above would get short term crop loans and/or short term loans for allied activities including animal husbandry, dairy, fisheries, bee keeping etc. @ 4% per annum during the financial year 2024-25. This benefit would not accrue to those farmers who repay their agri loans after one year of availing such loans.
Interest subvention and prompt repayment incentive benefits on short term crop loans and short term loans for allied activities will be available on an overall limit of Rs 3 lakh per annum subject to a maximum sub-limit of Rs 2 lakh per farmer in respect of those farmers involved only in activities related to animal husbandry, dairy, fisheries, bee keeping etc. The limit for crop loan component will take priority for interest subvention and prompt repayment incentive benefits and the residual amount will be considered towards allied activities including animal husbandry, dairy, fisheries, bee keeping etc. subject to the cap as mentioned above, the central bank said.
