Kurseong, March 23: Some residents of Ambootia Tea Estate, 6km from here, have formed a farmers’ club and tied up with Nabard in a bid to solve the unemployment problem that is plaguing the hills.

The Ambootia Farmers’ Club, formed on February 16, is the first of its kind in Kurseong subdivision and has 13 members.

Sudarshan Pradhan, the coordinator of the club, said they had tied up with the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard), which will help the members by providing financial assistance and training.

Nabard will train the farmers in projects like piggery, bee keeping and bamboo craft free of cost. The bank has already taken six members to Kalimpong to train them in bamboo craft.

Once they completed the training, said Pradhan, Nabard will lend the farmers loans up to Rs 50,000 at lower interest rates.

Pradhan said Nabard would train a batch of six members on various subjects at one time. He said a date would soon be fixed for the training in piggery.

The nascent club will formulate other projects on self-employment which may suit the area. The club, which is also contemplating projects in horticulture, hopes that more farmers will join it.