Regional Imbalances in Institutional Credit with Special Reference to Agriculture Loan Segment in India

Credit growth in agriculture in India has been evolving over a period of time, mainly aided by a push from the government. Such lending has led to an increase in yield of farmers and provided them with much-needed cash to grow crops.

The agricultural development crisis reflected in reduced overall growth accompanied by declining productivity and profitability which has accentuated the general adversity in the livelihoods of small and marginal farmers; the ischolar_main cause lies in high dependence of the population on agriculture and increasing marginalisation of land holdings. The subject becomes very relevant while dealing with agricultural credit as it forms the backdrop for answering very many demand-side questions.

The objective of the study is to make a systematic analysis of the evolution, trends and composition of institutional credit extended to the agricultural sector in India and the nature of inter-regional, inter-state and intra-state disparities prevailing in the distribution of farm credit.