LAHORE, Jan 21: The farmers returning their loans taken for one crop would be eligible to obtain credit for the next crop under one-window scheme, revolving agriculture loans from this year.

This was stated by Punjab Agriculture Minister Khurshid Zaman Qureshi while briefing reporters on the cabinet meeting held here on Monday morning. Governor Khalid Maqbool presided over the meeting.

The minister said the “ceiling of agricultural credit had also been enhanced to Rs4,900 per acre. “The ADBP had already disbursed loans to the tune of Rs3.8 billion for the Rabi crop in the Punjab. The bank would disburse a total of Rs6.5 billion amongst the farmers this year.”

He said 790 places have been identified in the Punjab to disburse loans among the growers under one-window operation. The governor had asked the Bank of Punjab to disburse agricultural loans, he said and added the government would also ask other commercial banks to advance credit to the farmers.

Mr Qureshi said the mills had crushed 81,000 tons of sugarcane so far this year as compared to 72,000 tons during the same period last year. The growers were getting Rs40 per maund for their crop in the Punjab.

He said the mills and farmers owed Rs619 million under the head of road cess dues to the government.

He said 80 per cent of the total amount was outstanding against the mills and the rest against the farmers. The cane commissioner had been asked to consider and decide the issue of cess dues on a case to case basis.