Farmers’ debt doubles to Rs 14,407 cr

Excelsior Correspondent

Srinagar, Sept 29: Outstanding agricultural debt of farmers in J&K has nearly doubled in just two years, surging from Rs 7,728.81 crore in 2023-24 to Rs 14,407.48 crore in 2025-26, even as the number of indebted farmers rose to 8.54 lakh, the Government informed the Legislative Assembly today.

The Agriculture Production Department data showed that outstanding farm debt increased by Rs 6,678.67 crore during the period, while the number of indebted farmers climbed from 6,69,241 to 8,53,642.

The average debt per indebted farmer also rose sharply, from Rs 1.15 lakh in 2023-24 to Rs 1.69 lakh in 2025-26.

The debt burden increased each year, with total outstanding agricultural loans rising from Rs 7,728.81 crore in 2023-24 to Rs 10,733.21 crore in 2024-25 before reaching Rs 14,407.48 crore in 2025-26.

The number of indebted farmers increased correspondingly from 6.69 lakh to 8.12 lakh and then 8.54 lakh.

The figures were provided in reply to a question in Legislative Assembly on measures being taken for farmer welfare.

District-wise data showed wide variations in the debt burden.

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Jammu recorded the highest average debt per indebted farmer in 2025-26 at about Rs 2.36 lakh, followed by Baramulla at around Rs 2.05 lakh and Kulgam at about Rs 1.91 lakh.

Anantnag had the highest number of indebted farmers among the districts listed, at 74,679, with outstanding agricultural debt of Rs 1,318.45 crore and an average debt of around Rs 1.76 lakh per farmer.

Pulwama had 62,315 indebted farmers and the highest total outstanding debt among the districts cited, at Rs 1,389.36 crore, translating into an average debt of about Rs 2.23 lakh per farmer.

The Government said it was implementing measures to reduce the financial burden on farmers and improve access to institutional credit, including the Kisan Credit Card (KCC), Interest Subvention Scheme and Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY).

Support was also being provided under various Central and UT schemes for agricultural inputs, farm mechanisation, irrigation and other activities, while the department was coordinating with financial institutions and field functionaries to facilitate institutional credit and other eligible financial services.

On loan waivers or debt relief for traders, the Government said no loan waiver or debt-relief scheme had been issued exclusively for the trader category.

The Government also said it was working to improve agricultural marketing and market access by establishing direct linkages between farmers and Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) and buyers, reducing avoidable intermediaries and strengthening farmer collectives for aggregation, grading, sorting, packaging and collective marketing.

E-marketing and digital platforms were also being promoted to improve market access and facilitate transparent price discovery, the department said, adding that the measures were aimed at reducing post-harvest losses and improving farmers' realisation.