Impact of Primary Agricultural Cooperative Societies’s on Farmer’s Economy of Panchmahal District of Middle Gujarat, India

Utilization of credit for which it is provided is an important element in agriculture development. In this regards, it is necessary to understand the credit utilization pattern of farmers and efficiency of PACs. In tribal area of Panchmahal district, at the village level more than 100 PACs covering some villages or group of villages are working and providing crop production loans to their farmer members. Considering the above the study was confined to total 168 respondents (84 borrowers and 84 non-borrowers). The study revealed that due to availability of crop loan the total cropped area of both the categories (marginal and small) of farmers of borrower groups was higher as compared to non-borrower group, also the intensity of cropping was higher that is, 246.77 and 243.83% for marginal and small borrower farms as compared to non-borrower farms. Probably this may be due to more investment in irrigation system enabled the borrower farmers to raise more crops in a year than non-borrower farms. The study also showed the overall percentage increase in the employment was 8.21 and 9.29 % respectively in situation of before and after finance, while borrower farmers have obtained and used bank credit for improving their irrigation system There was also an increase in value of assets for irrigation facilities, farm building, live stock and land due to loan availability from PACSs. It is also found from the study that overall 29.76 % of the total borrowers was found defaulted. The percentage of over dues to demand was maximum in small farmers, followe