In Panchula, a Supreme Court-appointed high-powered committee met with the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) on Tuesday to identify actionable strategies for easing the growing distress faced by farmers across India. The meeting took place at the committee’s office in Panchkula and was attended by NABARD Chairman Shaji KV.
During the session, the committee questioned NABARD officials on issues ranging from the effectiveness of Farmers Producer Organisations (FPOs) to the need for enhanced cold-chain infrastructure and income-generation strategies. The panel pressed NABARD on why farming should not benefit from a policy framework as robust as the one used for ease of doing business.
NABARD responded by highlighting its current initiatives, including support for over 7,400 FPOs involving 27.53 lakh farmers, of whom 82 percent are small and marginal. Additionally, the bank disbursed ₹1.96 lakh crore under the SHG-Bank Linkage Programme during FY2025, benefitting 17 crore rural households with affordable credit.
However, the committee expressed concern that many FPOs remain non-functional and called for a reassessment of the programme. Members noted that several stakeholder reports indicated large-scale failures, raising questions about long-term sustainability and on-ground implementation challenges.
The committee reiterated its goal of developing meaningful reforms for India’s agricultural sector. It includes prominent members such as agricultural policy expert Devinder Sharma, former Haryana DGP BS Sandhu, economist Dr RS Ghuman, and member-secretary Dr Amit Kumar Agrawal.
This meeting follows the panel’s recent engagement with the Kerala agriculture department to assess its fruit and vegetable support programme and consider the formation of a Farmers’ Debt Relief Commission.
The committee confirmed it will continue inviting diverse stakeholders to ensure that farmer welfare remains central to the country’s development agenda.
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Panchkula Supreme Court Committee And NABARD Hold Key Discussions To Address Farmer Distress