Agri-Startups | GoI Financial and Technical Support Initiatives, See Details here

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):

1. National Institute of Agricultural Extension Management (MANAGE), Hyderabad.
2. National Institute of Agricultural Marketing (NIAM) Jaipur, Rajasthan.
3. Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) Pusa, New Delhi.
4. University of Agriculture Science, Dharwad, Karnataka.
5. Assam Agriculture University, Jorhat, Assam.

RKVY-RAFTAAR Agribusiness Incubators (R-ABIs):

1. Chaudhary Charan Singh University, Hisar, Haryana.
2. CSK Himachal Pradesh Krishi Vishvavidyalaya, Palampur, Himachal Pradesh.
3. IIT-BHU, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.
4. Jawaharlal Nehru Krishi Vishwa Vidyalaya, Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh.
5. ICAR-Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar, Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh.
6. Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, Punjab.
7. Indira Gandhi Krishi Vishwavidyalaya, Raipur, Chhattisgarh.
8. Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, Jammu & Kashmir.
9. IIM, Kashipur, Uttarakhand.
10. Kerala Agricultural University, Thrissur, Kerala.
11. ICAR-Indian Institute of Millets Research, Hyderabad, Telangana.
12. Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU), Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu.
13. Agri innovation and entrepreneurship cell, ANGRAU, Andhra Pradesh.
14. National Rice Research Institute, Cuttack, Odisha.
15. S K N Agriculture University, Jobner, Rajasthan.
16. Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, West Bengal.
17. Bihar Agricultural University, Bhagalpur, Bihar.
18. Anand Agricultural University, Anand, Gujarat.
19. ICAR-Central Institute for Research on Cotton Technology, Mumbai, Maharashtra.
20. Dr. Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth, Akola, Maharashtra.
21. National Institute of Veterinary Epidemiology and Disease Informatics (NIVEDI), Bengaluru, Karnataka.
22. College of Fisheries, Lembucherra, Tripura.
23. Department of Veterinary Medicine College of Veterinary Sciences & Animal Husbandry, Aizawl, Mizoram.
24. College of Horticulture & Forestry, Pasighat, Arunachal Pradesh.