The Government of India is actively promoting agri-startups by implementing the Innovation and Agri-Entrepreneurship Development program under the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) since 2018-19. This initiative, spearheaded by the Department of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare (DA&FW), aims to foster innovation and agri-entrepreneurship by providing financial and technical support to nurture the start-up ecosystem in the country.
Key components of the program include the appointment of 5 Knowledge Partners (KPs) and 24 RKVY Agribusiness Incubators (R-ABIs) responsible for training, incubation, and implementation. These entities have established incubation centers to offer training, mentorship, and financial support to start-ups across different states.
Under this program, a total of 1554 agri-startups, including 387 women-led start-ups, have been supported with technical and financial assistance amounting to Rs. 111.57 crores from 2019-20 to 2023-24. Financial support is provided at the idea/pre-seed stage (up to Rs. 5.00 lakh) and seed stage (up to Rs. 25 lakh) to start-ups in agriculture and allied sectors.
Furthermore, the Government organizes various national-level programs, including agri-startup conclaves, fairs, exhibitions, webinars, and workshops, creating platforms for the promotion of agri-startups by connecting them with stakeholders.
Additionally, the “Agriculture Infrastructure Fund” scheme, implemented from 2020-21 onwards, provides medium-to-long-term debt finance to support investment in viable projects for post-harvest management and community farming assets. While there is no specific provision for landless tenant farmers to set up start-ups under this scheme, it has supported 1284 start-ups with medium-to-long-term debt financial support of Rs. 1248 crore, including those initiated by farmers.
List of Knowledge Partners (KPs) and RKVY-Agribusiness Incubators (R-ABIs):
Knowledge Partners (KPs):
- National Institute of Agricultural Extension Management (MANAGE), Hyderabad.
- National Institute of Agricultural Marketing (NIAM) Jaipur, Rajasthan.
- Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) Pusa, New Delhi.
- University of Agriculture Science, Dharwad, Karnataka.
- Assam Agriculture University, Jorhat, Assam.
RKVY-RAFTAAR Agribusiness Incubators (R-ABIs):
- Chaudhary Charan Singh University, Hisar, Haryana.
- CSK Himachal Pradesh Krishi Vishvavidyalaya, Palampur, Himachal Pradesh.
- IIT-BHU, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.
- Jawaharlal Nehru Krishi Vishwa Vidyalaya, Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh.
- ICAR-Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar, Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh.
- Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, Punjab.
- Indira Gandhi Krishi Vishwavidyalaya, Raipur, Chhattisgarh.
- Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, Jammu & Kashmir.
- IIM, Kashipur, Uttarakhand.
- Kerala Agricultural University, Thrissur, Kerala.
- ICAR-Indian Institute of Millets Research, Hyderabad, Telangana.
- Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU), Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu.
- Agri innovation and entrepreneurship cell, ANGRAU, Andhra Pradesh.
- National Rice Research Institute, Cuttack, Odisha.
- S K N Agriculture University, Jobner, Rajasthan.
- Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, West Bengal.
- Bihar Agricultural University, Bhagalpur, Bihar.
- Anand Agricultural University, Anand, Gujarat.
- ICAR-Central Institute for Research on Cotton Technology, Mumbai, Maharashtra.
- Dr. Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth, Akola, Maharashtra.
- National Institute of Veterinary Epidemiology and Disease Informatics (NIVEDI), Bengaluru, Karnataka.
- College of Fisheries, Lembucherra, Tripura.
- Department of Veterinary Medicine College of Veterinary Sciences & Animal Husbandry, Aizawl, Mizoram.
- College of Horticulture & Forestry, Pasighat, Arunachal Pradesh.
