RBI/2018-19/112
FIDD.CO.FSD.BC.12/05.05.010/2018-19

February 04, 2019

The Chairman/Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer
All Scheduled Commercial Banks (including Small Finance Banks and excluding RRBs)

Madam/Sir,

Kisan Credit Card (KCC) Scheme: Working Capital for Animal Husbandry and Fisheries

Please refer to our Master Circular - Kisan Credit Card (KCC) Scheme issued vide FIDD.CO.FSD.BC.No.6/05.05.010/2018-19 dated July 4, 2018. It has been decided to extend KCC facility to Animal Husbandry farmers and Fisheries for their working capital requirements. The guidelines are given in the Annex.

2. Banks are advised to implement the Scheme as per the guidelines.

Yours faithfully,

(Sonali Sen Gupta)
Chief General Manager

Encl: As above

Annex

1. Introduction

In the Budget 2018-19 the Union Government had announced their decision to extend the facilities of Kisan Credit Card (KCC) to Animal Husbandry farmers and Fisheries (AH & F) to help them meet their working capital requirements. In pursuance of the said budget announcement the matter has been examined, and in consultation with all stakeholders, it has been decided to extend the KCC facility for working capital requirement for activities related to Animal Husbandry and Fisheries.

2. Purpose:

The KCC facility will meet the short term credit requirements of rearing of animals, birds, fish, shrimp, other aquatic organisms, capture of fish.

3. Eligibility:

The criteria for eligible beneficiaries under KCC for Animal Husbandry and Fisheries will be as under:

3.1 Fishery

3.1.1 Inland Fisheries and Aquaculture

3.1.1.1 Fishers, Fish Farmers (individual & groups/ partners/ share croppers/ tenant farmers), Self Help Groups, Joint Liability Groups and women groups.

3.1.1.2 The beneficiaries must own or lease any of the fisheries related activities such as pond, tank, open water bodies, raceway, hatchery, rearing unit, possess necessary license for fish farming and fishing related activities, and any other State specific fisheries and allied activities.

3.1.2 Marine Fisheries

3.1.2.1 Beneficiaries listed at 3.1.1.1 above, who own or lease registered fishing vessel/boat, possess necessary fishing license/permission for fishing in estuary and sea, fish farming/mariculture activities in estuaries and open sea and any other State specific fisheries and allied activities.

3.2 Poultry and small ruminant

3.2.1 Farmers, poultry farmers either individual or joint borrower, Joint Liability Groups or Self Help Groups including tenant farmer of sheep/goats/pigs/poultry/birds/rabbit and having owned/rented/leased sheds.

3.3 Dairy

3.3.1 Farmers and Dairy farmers either individual or joint borrower, Joint Liability Groups or Self Help Groups including tenant farmers having owned /rented/leased sheds.

4. Scale of Finance

4.1 The scale of finance will be fixed by the District Level Technical Committee (DLTC) based on local cost worked out on the basis of per acre/per unit/per animal/per bird etc.

4.2 The working capital components in fisheries, under the scale of finance, may include recurring cost towards seed, feed, organic and inorganic fertilisers, lime/other soil conditioners, harvesting and marketing charges, fuel/electricity charges, labour, lease rent (if leased water area) etc. For capture fisheries, working capital may include the cost of fuel, ice, labouring charges, mooring/landing charges etc. may form part of the scale of finance.

4.3 The working capital components in Animal Husbandry, under the scale of finance, may include recurring cost towards feeding, veterinary aid, labour, water and electricity supply.

4.4 The maximum period for assessment of working capital requirement may be based on the cash flow statement or completion of one production cycle.

4.5 Fisheries and Animal Husbandry experts of the Govt. may be made members of the DLTC for giving technical inputs for assessing the cash credit requirement.

4.6 Progressive entrepreneurs of livestock/fisheries sector may also be included in the DLTC for providing field level inputs while assessing the working capital requirements.

5. General Guidelines

5.1 Drawing power: The drawing power will be worked on the basis of the latest valuation of stocks, receivables and/or cash flows as per terms of sanction.

5.2 Repayment: The loan will be in the nature of a revolving cash credit limit. Repayment will be fixed as per the cash flow/income generation pattern of the activity undertaken by the borrower.

5.3 Monitoring of end use: The account/smart card for the loan issued under the scheme is to be maintained/issued separately from the existing KCC loan to monitor the utilization limit. The monitoring of end use of funds will be in line with other loans (KCC on crop loans included) viz., field visits to the site of unit/project to be carried out by the branch officials for checking the progress of the unit. Banks will periodically review the facility and continue/withdraw/scale down the facility based on the performance of the borrower.

5.4 Prudential norms: The extant prudential norms on income recognition, asset classification and provisioning¹ on allied activities will apply.

5.5 Rate of Interest: The rate of interest will be as stipulated in DBR’s Master Direction – Reserve Bank of India (Interest Rate on Advances) Directions 2016.

5.6 All other guidelines laid down in Kisan Credit Card Scheme for short term crop loans will be applicable mutatis mutandis.

¹ DBR’s Master Circular on Income Recognition, Asset Classification and Provisioning Norms