As of March 31, more than 18.74 crore Indian farmers have agricultural debt commitments across the states of Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, and Karnataka

Around 18.74 crore farmers had farm loan obligations as of March 31, with Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka leading the loan outstanding, the Parliament informed on Tuesday.The data, presented by Agriculture Minister Ramnath Thakur in a written reply to MPs, showed that all 37 states and union territories have bank accounts of farmers taking farm loans.

Tamil Nadu topped the list with 2.88 crore farmers having outstanding loans, followed by Uttar Pradesh with 1.88 crore, and Karnataka with 1.62 crore farmers, it said. The minister clarified that the central government has not announced any farm loan waiver between 2019 and 2024, though several state governments have implemented their own loan waiver schemes.

Additionally, no state has requested additional funds or support for farmer relief programmes, he added.