Digital Credit Access for Farmers in India

New Delhi, Jun 13 (PTI) Four states -- Maharashtra, Kerala, Bihar and Odisha on Friday signed agreements to enable seamless digital access to credit services through farmer registry-linked authentication.

The Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with Maharashtra, Kerala, Bihar, and Odisha, and the PSB Alliance with the National Farmers' Welfare Program Implementation Society was signed at a conference on Agri Stack organised here.

This collaboration will enable seamless digital access to credit services through Farmer Registry-linked authentication, reducing paperwork and benefiting small and marginal farmers across India, according to an official statement.

The Centre has set aside an allocation of Rs 6,000 crore to support states in implementing digital agriculture initiatives under the Agri Stack platform.

Of the total allocation, Rs 4,000 crore has been earmarked for farmer registry systems including legal heir mechanisms, while Rs 2,000 crore will support digital crop surveys, the statement said.

The funds will be distributed on a first-come-first-served basis.

"The government is committed to leveraging technology for transparent, farmer-centric governance," Agriculture Secretary Devesh Chaturvedi said.

He emphasised the urgent need for states to dynamically link their farmer registries with updated Records of Rights and actively utilise digital datasets for scheme delivery and personalised agricultural services.

The conference also witnessed the launch of Special Central Assistance guidelines jointly by the secretaries of agriculture and land resources departments.

Additional Secretary (Digital) Pramod Kumar Meherda provided a comprehensive overview of Agri Stack, highlighting its integration with flagship schemes such as PM-KISAN, PMFBY and Kisan Credit Card.

A significant development announced was the collaboration with PSB Alliance and the National Farmers' Welfare Program Implementation Society, which will benefit small and marginal farmers across the country by reducing paperwork in accessing credit services.

Maharashtra showcased its progress in farmer registry enrollment statewide and sought central support for establishing a Data Provisioning Engine. The state also presented its AI-driven advisory platform 'Mahavistaar AI'.

Uttar Pradesh highlighted its integration of Agri Stack with minimum support price e-procurement for 2024, while Karnataka presented innovations including integration with banking systems and disaster relief applications.

The ministry introduced upcoming services including farmer authorisation systems and Digitally Verifiable Certificates, empowering farmers to share land and crop information securely.

An AI-powered chatbot trained on Agri Stack data and built using Google Gemini was also showcased, capable of answering queries in multiple languages.

Technical sessions focused on scaling state-level digital infrastructure and addressing challenges such as outdated tribal land records and compliance with Digital Crop Survey standards.