Ranchi, Jun 17 (PTI) NABARD’s Deputy Managing Director Ajay Kumar Sood on Tuesday urged bankers to move beyond production-centric lending towards value chain financing and market-linked interventions.

NABARD is India's apex rural development financial institution.

“Move beyond traditional production-based lending towards integrated approaches like value chain financing, aggregation, and market-linked models,” the Deputy MD urged bankers while chairing a high-level meeting here.

Performance under Ground Level Credit (GLC) and strategies for strengthening rural credit were in focus during the visit of the Deputy Managing Director (DMD) of NABARD that began on Monday.

Senior officials of commercial banks, Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) and Cooperative Banks took part in the meeting.

During the discussions, Regional Cooperative Banks said that they would commence lending to Large Area Multi-Purpose Societies (LAMPS) and Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) for on-lending to farmers, marking a significant step towards deepening last-mile credit delivery, a statement from NABARD said.

Sood unveiled a commemorative signboard to mark the International Year of Cooperatives – 2025, highlighting NABARD’s commitment to strengthening the cooperative ecosystem.

He also virtually inaugurated three JIVA (Joint Initiative for Village Advancement) Natural Farming Projects at Bhandra in Lohardaga district, Bishnupur in Hazaribagh, and Saraiyahat in Dumka.

These projects aim to promote low-input, regenerative farming systems that improve farmer incomes and ecological sustainability.

He interacted with project beneficiaries, Farmers’ Producer Organisations (FPOs), Tribal Development Committees, and Village Watershed Committees through video conferencing from the regional office.

On June 17, Sood visited the Snehlata FPO in Rajrappa, Ramgarh, and discussed issues related to market access, branding, and collective processing with farmer members.

He later visited a JIVA and Tribal Development Project supported by NABARD at Patratu in Ramgarh district.

In Namkum, the deputy managing director visited a model LAMPS under the PACS Computerisation Scheme.

Along with Suraj Kumar, Registrar of Cooperative Societies, Government of Jharkhand, he handed over the electronic PACS (ePACS) certificate to the society.

Sood lauded the diversified activities of Namkum LAMPS and encouraged them to build upon the momentum of reforms in the cooperative sector.

He also planted a sapling on the LAMPS premises under the “Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam” (One Tree in the Name of Mother) initiative, aimed at promoting environmental awareness. PTI NAM NN

Value chain financing urged: bankers advised to adopt market-linked models and support cooperative last-mile credit delivery. NABARD urged a shift from production-centric lending to integrated value chain financing, aggregation and market-linked models; Regional Cooperative Banks agreed to lend to LAMPS and PACS for on-lending to farmers to deepen last-mile credit delivery. NABARD also promoted JIVA Natural Farming Projects, issued an electronic PACS certificate under PACS computerisation, and reinforced cooperative sector reforms.