The pension scheme for small and marginal farmers who reach the age of 60 is gaining popularity in Kerala, with over 50,000 farmers obtaining membership in the last seven months.

Who is eligible?
Farmers having less than two hectares (five acres) of land can apply. Farming should be carried out on at least 10 cents over the past 10 years and agriculture has to be the chief livelihood of the applicant. Another major condition is that the annual income of the farmer should not be above Rs 1.5 lakh. Retired government employees and persons receiving any other pension are not eligible. Additionally, applicants should have completed 60 years of age.

How to apply?
Details regarding the application procedure are available at Krishi Bhavans. An income certificate issued by the village office is mandatory. The bank account of the farmer has to be linked with Aadhaar.

The final decision on granting pension will be taken by the agriculture development committee comprising the panchayat president, farmers and officers concerned. Documents to be uploaded along with the application include self-attested copies of bank passbook, Aadhaar card, certificates to prove age and land tax receipt or other land-related records. A membership fee of Rs 25 also has to be paid. For details, call 18004251661.

Monthly pension Rs 1,600
As per the state Agricultural Department data, 1.94 lakh (1,94,044) small-scale farmers received the pension until January 2025, for which the expenses came to Rs 31 crore (31,04,70,400). The monthly pension amount for each farmer is Rs 1,600.

While Thiruvananthapuram district, with 9,394 farmers, had the least number of enrolments, Kozhikode topped the list in Kerala with 35,099 farmers obtaining pension. A total of 2,79,105 farmers joined the pension scheme until May 17, 2025. As per data, 99 per cent of the applicants have been granted pension. Applications received after May 17 are being processed.

The list was previously updated on October 17, 2024. At that time, 6,201 new farmers were given membership in the scheme, taking the total to 2,13,289. Since then, 65,816 farmers have joined. The authorities said that all eligible applicants will receive pension once mustering is completed.

Another pension scheme
Another pension scheme is available for farmers in Kerala - the welfare pension for agriculturists. The pension for marginal farmers and the welfare pension are different schemes.

Farmers aged 18 to 65 years with agriculture as their main source of income are eligible for the welfare pension. They should have a minimum of five cents of land, but the area should not exceed 15 acres. Applications for welfare pension could be submitted online on kfwfb.kerala.gov.in.