Nabard projects Rs 3.67-lakh cr credit potential for Haryana, up 17% over last year

“Haryana has played a vital role in ensuring the country’s food security. But with changing times, agriculture and the rural economy are facing new challenges such as declining groundwater, deteriorating soil health, shrinking landholdings, climate change and rising production costs. These challenges cannot be solved through conventional methods alone; they demand innovation, technology and strong institutional financial support,” Saini said.

Irrigation, storage, warehousing, rural roads, electricity and digital connectivity form the foundation of development, he said, adding that special focus will be given to Smart Agriculture Zones in the upcoming state budget, and separate clusters are being developed for this purpose.

“Clusters for kinnow, guava, strawberry, litchi and other horticulture crops are being set up to encourage farmers to move from traditional farming to modern practices,” he said, urging farmers to adopt sugarcane cultivation as part of crop diversification.

The state government is making concerted efforts to strengthen the linkage from “soil to machine and farm to market” so that farmers can get better market access for their produce as well as fair and remunerative prices, he said.

Saini also urged banks to ensure that timely, simple and transparent credit facilities reach every eligible farmer.

NABARD is playing a significant role in this direction and is continuously supporting the development of agricultural and rural infrastructure, he said, adding that MSMEs, self-help groups, women entrepreneurship and cooperative institutions play a crucial role in strengthening the rural economy.

He said that 710 primary agricultural credit societies (PACS) are functioning in Haryana and cooperative banks have been computerised.

NABARD Chief General Manager Nivedita Tiwari said the State Focus Paper 2026-27 has prioritised areas, such as crop diversification, water conservation, micro-irrigation, horticulture, value addition, climate-resilient agriculture, strengthening of Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs), promotion of rural MSMEs, renewable energy and social infrastructure in order to realize the vision of “Sahkar se Samriddhi”.

The state government is working in coordination with banking and financial institutions to empower farmers, entrepreneurs and the rural economy so as to achieve the goal of “Viksit Haryana – Viksit Bharat”, she said, adding that NABARD is laying special emphasis on women empowerment.

Under the Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF), NABARD has so far sanctioned Rs 18,393 crore for rural infrastructure development in Haryana, out of which Rs 14,066 crore has been released.

These funds are being utilized in sectors such as roads, irrigation, renewable energy, grain storage, drinking water, sanitation and electricity, she said.