Agricultural Infrastructure Fund (AIF) Scheme

Why in News?

Recently, The Government has undertaken a mid-term evaluation of Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF) scheme.

• Launch – It is a Central Sector scheme launched in 2020.
• Nodal ministry – Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare.
• Expanded in - August 28, 2024, to expand scope & inclusivity
• Objectives – To strengthen agricultural infrastructure nationwide and provide robust support to the farming community.
• To broaden the scope of eligible projects, introduce additional supportive measures, and foster a more comprehensive agrarian infrastructure ecosystem.

• Impact – Infrastructure Development - It has facilitated the development of infrastructure by establishing warehouses, cold storage facilities, and silos across the country.
• Storage Capacity - A total additional storage capacity of 500 Lakh Metric Tonnes (LMT) has been created under the scheme.
• Crop Preservation - It enhanced crop preservation to save large quantities of food grains and horticultural produce annually.  
• Progress – Agro Economic Research Centre (AERC), Pune evaluated the scheme’s progress and performance, gathered and the scheme's positive impact.
  • Increased farmers income
  • Increased agriculture storage capacity
  • Growth of post-harvest and value addition infrastructure for agriculture produce.
  • Generation of employment
  • Encouraging agriculture entrepreneurship.

References

1. PIB| Agricultural Infrastructure Fund
2. PIB| Evaluation of AIF

Related News – AIF Significance