Problems Faced by the Farmers While Availing the Loan Facilities from the Banks - A Case Study of District Kulgam, Jammu and Kashmir

Crop diversification refers to the addition of new crops or cropping systems to agricultural production on a particular farm taking into account the different returns from value-added crops with complementary marketing opportunities. It is an important mechanism for economic growth, which can be facilitated by technological breaks-through, by changes in consumer demand or in government policy or in trade arrangements, and by development of irrigation, roads, and other infrastructures. Diversification in agriculture is key in achieving food security, improved human nutrition and increase in rural employment. In the past few decades, agricultural sector in the whole state of Jammu and Kashmir and particularly in the district of Kulgam has witnessed a heavy shift in the cropping pattern from food crops to non-food crops (cash-crops). The horticultural sector has been playing an important role in the State largely by contributing to the State Economy and turns to be the source of livelihood for nearly thirty three lakh people, but the paddy production on the other hand has shown an opposite trend. Paddy land is getting changed into the horticultural land, as the farmers find it to be more remunerative. Kulgam, which was once the major producer of rice in the State, and was known to be the “Rice Bowl of Kashmir”, is now among the least producers of rice. Farmers witnessed that sticking only to the water intensive crops proved to be non-beneficial and they willingly shifted to the cash crops, like: apple, almond, and walnut. In the present study, the researcher estimates the association between the different socioeconomic variables and the problems faced by the farmers while availing the loan at the household level in Kulgam, one of the districts of Jammu and Kashmir, and Chi Square test has been used to find out the association