Co-operative banking for agricultural development

Agricultural economies of underdevelope countries were caught up in the vicious circle of poverty over centuries for want of technological progress. Population explosition aggravated the economic pressures and perpetuated the Ricardian growth trap in the less-developed countries. But Green Revolution opened the door for broad-based agricultural development and snapped the vicious circle of poverty by a significant enhancement of farm productivity. Green Revolution is indeed an input revolution of seed-fertilizer-irrigation involving heavy capital investment in farming. The rapid growth of cooperative agricultural development banking providing long-term farm credit bears close correlation with the evolution of Green Revolu tion in India and among its different States during the recent decades. According to the spirit of times, the land-mortgage banks have been converted into Cooperative Agricultural Development Banks.

This book discusses the growth, structural pattern, performance and evaluation of the cooperative agricultural development banking against the background of the evolution of rural banking in India. It analyscs in detail the techniques and problems of long-tern farm finance. While cooperative agricultural develop ment banking witnessed rapid expansion in recent decades, it is bedeviled with the accumu lation of overdues which emerges as the core problem of the banking giving rise to socio economic compulsions and even political solu tions impinging on its healthy expansion. The situation warrants innovative techniques and solutions to evolve sustained rural banking structure. As regards the banking development perspective, Window" ach with the book advocates. "Single system and the growth centre appro "rural bank" as a crucial centre for financing rural development activities which may facilitate ultimately the emergence of small towns nursing rural development.

The book is of significance for rural develop ment banking perspective and policy guidelines. Students and scholars of economics, commerce and agriculture may find this book of commend able value for undertaking similar studies projecting innovative techniques and policy guidelines for the development of rural banking.