The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has called a National Level Stakeholder Consultation Meet on 21 November 2025 at BIRD, Lucknow.
The consultation aims to address the declining trend in ground-level credit by Cooperative Banks and deliberate on strategies to reverse it. MDs and CEOs of 50 State Cooperative Banks (StCBs) and District Central Cooperative Banks (DCCBs) have been invited to participate.
It is noteworthy that, in a concerted effort to restore the prominence of cooperative banks in India’s agricultural financing system, the Ministry of Cooperation (MoC) and NABARD recently held a high-level virtual meeting chaired by Cooperation Secretary Dr. Ashish Kumar Bhutani.
Data shows that in FY2024, cooperative banks disbursed Rs 2.3 lakh crore in agricultural credit, accounting for 9.2% of total Ground-Level Credit (Rs 25.1 lakh crore), slightly below their target of Rs 2.6 lakh crore. Commercial banks held a 79% share, with Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) contributing 12%.
In FY2025, cooperative banks increased disbursement to Rs 2.4 lakh crore (8.4% of total agricultural credit of Rs 28.7 lakh crore), still below their target of Rs 3.0 lakh crore. While absolute disbursement rose by Rs 0.1 lakh crore, their share declined slightly. Commercial banks retained an 81% share, followed by RRBs at 10.8%.
