Government to boost agro start-ups to enhancing farmers’ income

The government of India will disburse Rs.1,185.90 lakhs to fund 112 start-ups in agro processing, food technology and value addition. This will contribute to enhancing the income of farmers. This fund will be released in installments.

The start-ups were trained for two months at 29 agribusiness incubation centres (KPs & RABIs) spread across the country. These start-ups will lead to employment to youth. Besides, they, directly and indirectly, will contribute to enhancing the income of farmers by providing opportunities to them.

Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Narendra Singh Tomar has said that new technology in the field of agriculture and allied sectors through start-ups and agripreneurship would be promoted under the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana.

Mr. Tomar said that Prime Minsiter Narendra Modi had highlighted the need to leverage information technology to provide information on demand to the farmers. The Prime Minister said that traditional knowledge of Indian communities should be coupled with technology and skill sets of youth and agriculture graduates to translate the full potential of Indian agriculture in transforming rural areas.

He also directed that hackathons may be organised twice a year to solve identified problems and meet design needs for tools and equipment that can reduce drudgery in farming activity.

The Union Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister also stressed on the need to make agriculture competitive, provide handholding to agriculture-based activities and adopt new technology at the earliest. Emphasizing on increasing private investment in the field of agriculture, Mr. Tomar has drawn attention to the need for value addition and start-ups.

His vision is to attract youth to agriculture and rejuvenate the sector. In keeping with these initiatives of the Government of India to boost agriculture and allied activities and give an impetus to the rural economy, the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojna (RKVY) which aims at strengthening infrastructure in agriculture and allied areas, has been revamped.

Under the revamped scheme, a component Innovation and Agri-entrepreneurship Development programme has been launched in order to promote innovation and agripreneurship and start-ups by providing financial support and nurturing the incubation ecosystem.