Effective advisory in agriculture and rural finance requires a direct understanding of seasonal credit cycles, informal income assessments, and warehouse receipt negotiations. It involves navigating NPA recoveries after poor monsoons, regulatory inspections, and last-mile delivery challenges.

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Manoj Kumar Rawat brings three decades of experience to these areas, spanning rural banking, agricultural and MSME finance, commodity and warehouse finance, and microfinance. His current work focuses on climate-aligned finance, where institutional credit is structured to address the risks and opportunities of the carbon economy.

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Institutional Journey

• ISRO: Began his career as a Scientist-Engineer with ISRO before transitioning to development and commercial banking.

• NABARD (National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development) — Worked for 12 years appraising and monitoring investment projects across national rural infrastructure, including dams, minor irrigation systems, and groundwater resources. This tenure involved the technical and financial oversight of cold chain infrastructure, warehousing, agri-marketing, and post-harvest management. Served as PMU In-Charge for the Indo-German Watershed Development Programme (supported by KfW) and worked across investment credit, state projects, and consultancy service.

• Consultancy: Acted as a consultant to NABARD Consultancy Services (NABCONS) on agricultural and rural development projects.

• Fullerton India (Temasek): Vice President Risk Management for the rural and microfinance business from inception, building it alongside a core team across remote and semi-urban geographies nationally and implementing biometric technology for rural and microfinance delivery.

• RBL Bank:  Served as Group EVP, Head of Agriculture and Rural Business, and Management Committee member, building a national agricultural vertical across multiple states — covering dairy cooperatives, food processors, cold storage, commodity finance, warehouse receipt lending, corporate agriculture lending , SME /MSME finance, renewable energy and agriculture market linkages. We offered variety of financial instruments for Agriculture, Rural and Agri-corporate sectors. The bank received Best Priority Sector (PSL) Bank in India for two consecutive years under his leadership.

• ValueFin India: Bootstrapped ValueFin India as Managing Director and CEO — an RBI-registered NBFC — focused on agriculture value chains, farm enterprises, MSMEs and climate finance, building it from the ground up.

• International Advisory (IFAD): Served as Senior Consultant and Lead Architect to IFAD (United Nations), designing national agri-finance accelerator platforms, refinancing facilities and risk-sharing structures in Africa.

• Global Stakeholder Engagement: Throughout his tenure at NABARD and in subsequent leadership roles, he has collaborated with and managed project interests for international development and investment agencies including FAO, GIZ, USAID, CDC, and IFC.

Policy & Industry Leadership

• Advisory: Advised the Government of India on the e-NAM digital agricultural market platform.

• Committees: Served on McKinsey’s Consultative Committee on Agriculture Development and Food Security.

• Governance: Jury Member of the Global Partnership Climate Fund, Zurich, and served on national working committees on FPOs and agribusiness development.

• Recognition: Recognized among the 25 Best Rural Banking Professionals and 50 Most Influential Rural Leaders in India.

Education & Credentials

• Academic: Alumnus of G.B. Pant University of Agriculture & Technology; holds a B.Tech (Gold Medal), M.E. in Water Resources Engineering, and MBA in Finance.

• Professional: CAIIB and Certified Independent Board Director (IICA).

• Executive Learning: Completed an Executive Leadership Programme from Cornell University, with specialized certifications from Wharton School ( The Materiality of ESG Factors - Climate Change), Oxford Saïd Business School (Sustainable Finance), IIM Ahmedabad (Organisation of the Future), and IBM (AI for Business Leaders & Executives).

• Author: Carbon Credit: A Beginner's Guide — Demystifying the Carbon Economy.

• Writer, researcher and practitioner at the intersection of rural finance, agriculture, and the carbon economy; www.manojrawat.com.

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