India is one of the biggest markets for gold and gold loans. Reasons for this are spread across various social, economic and cultural dimensions. According to World Gold Council, India accounts for 10% of total world gold stock, of which … Read More

As you can see, we’ve rebranded our blog from the Centre for Microfinance Blog to include the Centre for Development Finance (CDF), the Small Enterprise Finance Centre (SEFC) and the Centre for Microfinance (CMF) – the research centres under IFMR … Read More

While going through the recent Budget 2013 session described vividly across various media sections, it would be safe in saying that it has not raised any major controversy or questions to some extent, though experts are still going through the … Read More

I am quite sure most of you have seen or know of a village haat or bazaar. Ever wonder what exactly happens out there? (In case if you are not aware of what a village haat is-  as most interior … Read More

Dear Government, My eldest 17-year-old son has lately started talking about going to a big city for a “better” livelihood. He is a very skilled farmer; however, he does not see any future in it. Some say our young boys … Read More

While reading up on Agricultural Credit, came across this interesting paper on farm credit in Pakistan, our neighbour. What was interesting about this paper is that the provision of farm credit in rural Pakistan actually benefited the small farmers though … Read More

Development of rural credit systems have always been a complicated affair and this is clear from India’s history. Intermittent failure of monsoons, unscientific farming practices and rural indebtedness, seasonal need for credit and other risks has ensured that high interest … Read More

With an even-fisted force in the air, he yells, “We are not a slave to your microfinance!” and storms off to the back of the house, leaving twenty-three clients, one collection officer, and two surveyors in a small room shyly … Read More

Agriculture finance is the most crucial aspect for any farmer in a country where 60% of population depends on farming. India is also one of the largest producer of food grains and cash crops as well as the largest consumer … Read More

The current GIZ-NABARD-CMF study is being conducted in 4 states (Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Punjab, and West Bengal). The study explores general and policy-specific questions regarding agricultural financing in India. Broader research questions in the study look at the structure of … Read More