Economic assessment of policy reforms on agricultural credit growth in southern India

Agricultural credit plays a vital role in supporting Indian agriculture, and to enhance farmers’ access to formal credit, several reforms have been introduced. This study examines the response of agricultural credit to policy reforms using data on outstanding agricultural credit from scheduled commercial banks in the southern region during 1976–2021. It also investigates the distribution of agricultural credit beyond the regional level, revealing a concentration of half the advances in just 100 districts, primarily in the Southern region. To identify distinct phases, the study employed the Bai-Perron test, which identified multiple structural breaks in 1983, 1990, 1997, 2004, and 2011. Garrett scores are then calculated for each phase to determine periods of high growth. Notably, Phase-V (2004-2010) recorded the highest agricultural credit growth, attributed to policy reforms such as doubling the volume of credit, ground- level credit policies, interest subvention, and prompt repayment incentives. Phase-I (1976-1982) also witnessed significant growth, driven by policies like establishing regional rural banks, intensifying priority sector lending targets, and nationalizing banks for the second time. This study underscores the importance of direct credit reforms in augmenting agricultural credit accessibility and emphasizes the need for continued efforts in this direction.