NABARD introduced the Kisan Credit Card scheme in 1988 to relieve farmers from the excessive burden of borrowing from unorganised money lenders. KCC aims at helping farmers involved in agriculture, animal husbandry, or fisheries.

Through Kisan Credit Cards, farmers can avail low-interest and short-term loans to back their production. The interest rate charged on KCC ranges from 2 – 4%. Recently, the government announced an infusion of Rs.2 lakh crore in the KCC scheme and declared its goal to extend its coverage to approximately 2.5 crore farmers as part of the Atmanirbhar Bharat or Self-Reliant India initiative. 

However, the availability of credit under the KCC scheme is yet to reach its full sprawl. Some ways to increase the accessibility of credit through Kisan Credit cards are:

• Proper implementation of the Kisan Credit Card scheme from the state government is required to increase fund-accessibility.
• Ensuring sharecroppers and tenants who are involved in agriculture but don’t possess clear land titles can access the KCC scheme. 
• The digitalisation of land records is equally important to implement KCC properly and facilitate funds for farmers.

Eligible farmers can apply for KCC online. Individuals who are ineligible to draw Kisan Credit Cards, however, can apply for regular credit cards. For example, you can opt for the Bajaj Finserv RBL Bank SuperCard. It offers facilities like interest-free cash withdrawals, emergency loans, etc.