Source: Agri-clinic and Agri-Business centre website
The Ministry of Agriculture and farmers’ welfare, Government of India, in association with NABARD has launched a unique programme to take better methods of farming to each and every farmer across the country.
This programme aims to tap the expertise available in the large pool of Agriculture Graduates. Irrespective of whether he/she is a fresh graduate or not, or whether he/she is currently employed or not, he/she can set up their own AgriClinic or AgriBusiness Centre and offer professional extension services to innumerable farmers. Committed to this programme, the Government is now also providing start-up training to graduates in Agriculture, or any subject allied to Agriculture like Horticulture, Sericulture, Veterinary Sciences, Forestry, Dairy, Poultry Farming, and Fisheries, etc.
Objectives
- To supplement the efforts of Government extension system
- To make available supplementary sources of input supply and services to needy farmers
- To provide gainful employment to agriculture graduates in new emerging areas in the agricultural sector.
Free Training to set up your Agriclinic or Agribusiness Centre
As an integral part of this nationwide initiative, specialized training will be provided to Agriculture Graduates interested in setting up such a centre. Being provided free of cost, the 2-month training course will be offered by select institutes across the country. Initiated by SFAC, and co-ordinated by MANAGE, the course comprises Entrepreneurship and Business Management, as well as skill improvement modules in your chosen areas of activity.
Bank loans available for Agriclinics and Agribusiness Centres
- Ceiling of project cost for subsidy has been enhanced to Rs.20 lakhs for an individual project (25 lakhs in case of extremely successful individual projects) and to Rs.100 lakhs for a group project.
- Depending on the type of venture you want to set up, and with a moratorium of up to 2 years, Agriclinics and Agribusiness Centre Loans can be repaid within 5 to 10 years as per easy installment plans. The rate of interest, margin and security on loans will be decided by the respective bank, as per RBI norms.Depending on your entitlement, you can even apply for margin money assistance.
Activities which can be financed under the scheme
- Soil and water quality cum inputs testing laboratories (with Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometers)
- Pest surveillance, diagnostic and control services
- Maintenance, repairs and custom hiring of agricultural implements and machinery including micro irrigation systems (sprinkler and drip).
- Agri Service Centres including the three activities mentioned above (Group Activity).
- Seed Processing Units.
- Micro-propagation through Plant Tissue Culture Labs and Hardening Units.
- Setting up of Vermiculture units, production of bio-fertilisers, bio-pesticides, bio-control agents.
- Setting up of Apiaries (bee-keeping) and honey & bee products’ processing units.
- Provision of Extension Consultancy Services.
- Hatcheries and production of fish finger-lings for aquaculture.
- Provision of livestock health cover, setting up veterinary dispensaries & services including frozen semen banks and liquid nitrogen supply.
- Setting up of Information Technology Kiosks in rural areas for access to various agriculture related portals
- Feed Processing and testing units.
- Value Addition Centres..
- Setting up of Cool Chain from the farm level onwards (Group Activity).
- Retail marketing outlets for processed agri-products.
- Rural marketing dealerships of farm inputs and outputs
