Srinagar, June 5: Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo on Thursday directed district administrations and banks to pursue agricultural credit schemes with greater ambition to ensure wider access to financing for farmers, entrepreneurs and producer groups across Jammu and Kashmir.
Chairing a review meeting of the Agriculture Production Department (APD), Dulloo assessed the implementation of key agricultural credit schemes, including the Kisan Credit Card (KCC), Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF), PM Formalisation of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (PMFME), HADP Credit and other flagship programmes.
The meeting was attended by Ashish Chandra Verma, Managing Director HADP, directors of Agriculture, Horticulture, Animal Husbandry and Fisheries from both divisions, while Deputy Commissioners joined through video conferencing.
Reviewing the performance of credit-linked schemes, the Chief Secretary said affordable and accessible credit remained the most effective tool for unlocking the potential of agriculture and allied sectors in the Union Territory. He called for intensified efforts to maximize coverage and benefits under these schemes.
Dulloo stressed the need for saturation of KCC coverage, timely renewal of accounts and prompt disbursement of repayment incentives to eligible farmers. He directed departments and banks to launch extensive awareness campaigns about the incentives and eligibility conditions under the scheme.
He also called for expediting onboarding under the Unified Lending Interface (ULI) in areas where land records have been digitised and directed authorities to keep these records updated alongside the ongoing generation of Farmer IDs.
Highlighting the importance of Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs), the Chief Secretary emphasized systematic capacity building to make them financially sustainable and credit-worthy. He asked the department to assign mentors to guide FPOs in improving productivity and meeting banking and credit requirements.
The meeting reviewed district-wise performance under various schemes and urged districts lagging behind to undertake focused interventions to improve outcomes. Dulloo also sought detailed activity-wise data from banks on sectors generating the highest demand for agricultural term loans and suggested exploring their inclusion under the Mission YUVA framework.
Presenting an overview of the agricultural credit ecosystem, Additional Chief Secretary Ashish Chandra Verma highlighted progress achieved under different schemes, challenges faced and the roadmap for achieving targets.
Officials informed the meeting that Jammu and Kashmir currently has around 11.57 lakh active KCC account holders, with nearly 3.5 lakh farmers availing prompt repayment incentives during the previous financial year. About 7.99 lakh beneficiaries have been issued smart cards, while crop insurance coverage under PMFBY reached 41 per cent during the Kharif season.
The review revealed that under the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund, loans worth ₹680 crore have been sanctioned, with ₹431 crore disbursed among 392 beneficiaries. Under PMFME, 545 cases involving disbursement of ₹22 crore were reported during 2024-25.
Officials said loans amounting to ₹302.78 crore have been sanctioned under HADP Credit, of which ₹172.69 crore has been disbursed up to May 2026. Under the National Livestock Mission, 27 projects involving financial assistance of ₹12.23 crore have been approved by the Central Executive Committee, while several other applications remain under processing.
The meeting was also informed that credit worth ₹604 crore has been sanctioned to 67 FPOs, with ₹425 crore already disbursed to 54 organisations across Jammu and Kashmir.
Regarding the PM-KISAN scheme, officials said the Union Territory currently has around 9.16 lakh active beneficiaries. Land seeding has been completed in a substantial number of cases, while pending NPCI and e-KYC issues have been significantly reduced and are being addressed on priority.
The meeting further noted that the upcoming “Khet Bachao Abhiyan” would be used to reach villages across Jammu and Kashmir and create awareness among farmers about agricultural credit schemes and other initiatives aimed at strengthening the farm sector.
