Agriculture Infrastructure Fund Scheme 2026: Loan, 3% Interest Subvention & Online Registration at agriinfra.dac.gov.in

Central government is accepting Agriculture Infrastructure Fund Scheme registration and login at the official agriinfra.dac.gov.in portal. Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF) is a central sector financing facility launched by PM Narendra Modi on 9 August 2020 with a total corpus of Rs 1 lakh crore under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan. The scheme gives a loan of up to Rs 2 crore with a 3% interest subvention per annum to build post-harvest and community farming infrastructure. In this article, we will tell you about the scheme registration, loan amount, interest subsidy, how to apply, who can register and complete details.

Agriculture Infrastructure Fund is still open for applications and the government expanded the scheme on 28 August 2024 to bring more projects and support measures under its cover. The scheme is now operational through 2032-33. Farmers, cooperatives, FPOs and agri-entrepreneurs can apply online through the single window facility at agriinfra.dac.gov.in.

What is Agriculture Infrastructure Fund Scheme

Agriculture Infrastructure Fund scheme is aimed at helping farmers get better value for their produce. With the fund, farmers can store and sell at higher prices, reduce wastage, and add processing and value addition. A loan of up to Rs 2 crore is provided under the scheme, and the central government bears a 3% interest subvention per annum on the loan amount.

Hon'ble Finance Minister announced the Rs 1 lakh crore Agri Infrastructure Fund on 15 May 2020 for farm-gate infrastructure for farmers. The financing facility is meant for funding agriculture infrastructure projects at farm-gate and aggregation points such as Primary Agricultural Cooperative Societies, Farmers Producer Organizations, agriculture entrepreneurs and start-ups. The aim is to build affordable and financially viable post-harvest management infrastructure.

Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (DAC and FW) has formulated this central sector scheme to mobilize a medium to long term debt financing facility for investment in viable projects relating to post-harvest management infrastructure and community farming assets through incentives and financial support.

Agriculture Infrastructure Fund Scheme Highlights

Detail	Information
Scheme Name	Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF)
Launched By	PM Narendra Modi
Total Fund	Rs 1 lakh crore
Loan Amount	Up to Rs 2 crore
Interest Subvention	3% per annum
Loan Tenure	Up to 7 years
Beneficiaries	Farmers, FPOs, PACS, cooperatives, agri-entrepreneurs, startups
Application Mode	Online
Official Website	agriinfra.dac.gov.in

Expansion of Agriculture Infrastructure Fund Scheme

Union Cabinet, chaired by PM Narendra Modi, approved a big expansion of the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund scheme on 28 August 2024. This expansion made the scheme more attractive and inclusive for the farming community. Below are the main changes made under the expansion.

• Viable farming assets: The scheme now covers infrastructure for viable projects that build community farming assets, helping eligible people improve productivity and sustainability.
• Integrated processing projects: Eligible activities now include integrated primary and secondary processing projects. Standalone secondary projects remain ineligible and stay under Ministry of Food Processing Industries schemes.
• PM KUSUM Component-A convergence: Farmers, farmer groups, FPOs, cooperatives and Panchayats can now use the convergence between Component-A of PM KUSUM and AIF to promote clean energy along with agriculture infrastructure.
• More credit guarantee options: Along with CGTMSE, credit guarantee cover for FPOs is now available through NABSanrakshan Trustee Company Pvt. Ltd.

Credit Guarantee Coverage in Agri Infrastructure Fund Scheme

Credit guarantee coverage is available for eligible borrowers under the Credit Guarantee Fund Trust for Micro and Small Enterprises (CGTMSE) scheme for a loan up to Rs 2 crore. The fee for this coverage is paid by the government. For FPOs, the credit guarantee can be availed from the facility created under the FPO promotion scheme of DACF and through NABSanrakshan.

All loans under this financing facility get an interest subvention of 3% per annum up to a limit of Rs 2 crore. This subvention is available for a maximum period of 7 years. For loans beyond Rs 2 crore, the interest subvention is limited to Rs 2 crore. The extent and percentage of funding to private entrepreneurs out of the total financing facility may be fixed by the National Monitoring Committee.

Objectives of Agriculture Infrastructure Fund Scheme

This financing facility has many objectives for all the people involved in the agriculture ecosystem.

Farmers (including FPOs, PACS, Marketing Cooperative Societies, Multipurpose cooperative societies)

• Improved marketing infrastructure lets farmers sell directly to a larger base of consumers and increase value realization, which improves the overall income of farmers.
• With investments in logistics infrastructure, farmers can sell in the market with reduced post-harvest losses and fewer intermediaries. This makes farmers more independent and improves access to the market.
• With modern packaging and cold storage access, farmers can decide when to sell in the market and improve realization.
• Community farming assets for improved productivity and better use of inputs result in big savings for farmers.

Government

• Government can direct priority sector lending in currently unviable projects by supporting through interest subvention, incentive and credit guarantee. This starts a cycle of innovation and private sector investment in agriculture.
• Due to improvements in post-harvest infrastructure, government can reduce national food wastage and help the agriculture sector become competitive with global levels.
• Central or state government agencies and local bodies can structure viable PPP projects for attracting investment in agriculture infrastructure.

Agri entrepreneurs and startups

• With a dedicated source of funding, entrepreneurs can push for innovation in the agriculture sector by using new technologies including IoT and AI.
• It also connects the players in the ecosystem and improves avenues for collaboration between entrepreneurs and farmers.

Salient Features of Agriculture Infrastructure Fund Loan Scheme

Below are the main features of the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund loan scheme.

• Size of the financing facility is Rs 1 lakh crore.
• Credit guarantee for a loan up to Rs 2 crore.
• Interest subvention of 3% per annum, limited to Rs 2 crore, though the loan amount can be higher.
• Cap on lending rate so that the benefit of interest subsidy reaches the beneficiary and services to farmers remain affordable.
• Project Management Unit provides handholding support for projects including project preparation.
• Multiple lending institutions including commercial banks, cooperative banks, NCDC, NBFCs and more.
• Online single window facility in collaboration with participating lending institutions.
• Convergence with all schemes of central or state government.
• Moratorium for repayment may vary subject to a minimum of 6 months and a maximum of 2 years.
• Need based refinance support is made available by NABARD to all eligible lending entities including cooperative banks and RRBs as per its policy.

Who can Apply for Agriculture Infrastructure Fund Scheme

Many types of farmers and agriculture groups can apply for the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund loan. Below is the list of eligible people.

• Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS).
• Marketing Cooperative Societies.
• Farmer Producers Organizations (FPOs).
• Farmers.
• Self Help Groups (SHGs).
• Joint Liability Groups (JLGs).
• Multipurpose Cooperative Societies.
• Agri-entrepreneurs and startups.
• Central or state agency or local body sponsored Public-Private Partnership projects.

Eligible Projects under Agriculture Infrastructure Fund Scheme

Many types of projects are eligible for funding under the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund. These include community farming assets, hub and spoke model projects, and post-harvest management projects. Below is the list of eligible projects.

• Viable projects for building community farming assets including organic inputs production, bio stimulant production units, and infrastructure for smart and precision agriculture.
• Projects on hub and spoke model for supply chain infrastructure for clusters of crops including export clusters, and PPP projects promoted by central, state or local governments or their agencies.
• Post-harvest management projects like supply chain services including e-marketing platforms, warehouses, silos, packaging units, assaying units, sorting and grading units, cold stores and cold chain, logistics facilities, primary processing centers, ripening chambers and waxing plants.

Crop-wise eligible PHM and Primary Processing Activities

Crops	Eligible PHM and Primary Processing Activities	Not eligible under AIF
Cereals (Wheat, Paddy, etc.)	Cleaning, de-stoning, sorting and grading, hulling, milling, pounding, grinding, tempering, parboiling, soaking, drying, sieving, irradiation	Fermentation, baking, puffing, flaking, frying, extrusion, blending, roasting
Fruits and vegetables	Washing, cleaning, drying, sorting, grading, blanching for primary processing, cooling, waxing, conditioning	Dehydration, concentrated products, canning, juice extraction, sterilization
Oilseeds	Cleaning, de-stoning, de-husking (decorticating machines), winnowing, oil extraction (ghani, hydraulic press etc.)	By-product utilization, refining, neutralization, bleaching
Pulses	Cleaning, de-stoning, drying, sorting and grading, de-husking, splitting, de-hulling, milling, irradiation	Canning, besan, papads, pulse based foods, puffed chickpea, pulse polishing
Cotton	Cleaning, drying, ginning, pressing and bailing, lintering	Fibre finishing, scouring, purifying, spinning, weaving
Sugarcane	Cane unloading, cleaning, cane breaking, cane milling, straining, evaporators, centrifugation, storage tanks, dryers
Spices	Cleaning, drying, sorting, boiling, polishing, grinding, packaging, storage, irradiation	Roasting, sterilizing, thermal treatment
Cocoa	Cleaning, gathering of pods, sorting, breaking of pods, fermentation of cocoa, drying, storage	Roasting, winnowing, alkalization
Coffee	Cleaning, drying of cherries, washing, hulling, pulping	Roasting, grinding, extraction
Jute	Cutting, retting, stripping, washing, drying, bailing, packing, storage
Cashew	Cleaning, streaming in boiler, shell cutting, drying, peeling, grading, packaging
Moringa	Washing, drying, milling, storage, packaging
Tea	Cleaning, withering, rolling, fermentation, drying, sorting
Rubber	Mastication, mixing, shaping, curing, irradiation
Herbal and Medicinal Crops	Cleaning, sorting, drying	Syrup, pills, cream, roasting, frying, distillation, concentration

Agriculture Infrastructure Fund - State Wise Allocation

Tentative state and UT wise allocation of Agriculture Infrastructure Fund is given below.

State/UT	Tentative Fund Allocation (Rs. Cr)
Uttar Pradesh	12831
Rajasthan	9015
Maharashtra	8460
Madhya Pradesh	7440
Gujarat	7282
West Bengal	7260
Andhra Pradesh	6540
Tamil Nadu	5990
Punjab	4713
Karnataka	4525
Bihar	3980
Haryana	3900
Telangana	3075
Kerala	2520
Odisha	2500
Assam	2050
Chhattisgarh	1990
Jharkhand	1445
Himachal Pradesh	925
Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh	900
Uttarakhand	785
Tripura	360
Arunachal Pradesh	290
Nagaland	230
Manipur	200
Mizoram	196
Meghalaya	190
Goa	110
Delhi	102
Sikkim	56
Puducherry	48
A and N Islands	40
Daman and Diu	22
Lakshadweep	11
Dadra and Nagar Haveli	10
Chandigarh	9
Total	1,00,000

Eligible Lending Institutions for Loan under AIF Scheme

After signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) or DACF, all the following eligible lending institutions can participate to provide this financing facility.

• All scheduled commercial banks.
• Scheduled cooperative banks.
• Regional Rural Banks (RRBs).
• Small finance banks.
• Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs).
• National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC).
• DCCBs with PACS affiliation.

Eligible people can also apply directly for the financing facility under this scheme. There is no requirement of prior scrutiny at any level. Such applications may be considered by the banks at their level. Timely MIS for such applications is made available by the respective banks to DLMC (District Level Monitoring Committee) and SLMC (State Level Monitoring Committee).

Scheme Monitoring

National, state and district level monitoring committees make sure there is real-time monitoring and effective feedback about the implementation of the scheme.

National Level Monitoring Committees

• National level Monitoring Committee (NLMC) guides and steers the implementation of the project and approves the guidelines for implementation.
• National level Implementation Committee (NLIC) examines and recommends the guidelines for implementation and reviews the implementation as per the approved guidelines.

State Level Monitoring Committees

• State level Monitoring Committee (SLMC) implements the guidelines at the state level and provides feedback.
• It guides and steers the implementation of the scheme in the state.
• It examines and approves the selected list of beneficiaries and projects for inclusion in the scheme in consultation with DLMC.
• It sets the targets as per the OOMF format and reviews the progress regularly.

District Level Monitoring Committees

• District level Monitoring Committee (DLMC) is the first line of implementation and monitoring within the overall framework.
• It identifies beneficiaries, makes sure the project is viable and prepares viable project reports to support the beneficiaries in collaboration with PMU.
• It examines the proposal and recommends it to SLMC for consideration.
• DLMC sets targets in consultation with SLMC as per the OOMF format and monitors the progress with the support of PMU.
• DLMC maintains the dashboard in collaboration with PMU.
• It is responsible for the smooth implementation of the scheme and resolves any issues at the district level with the support of the district administration.

Project Management Units

• Farmers Welfare Programme Implementation Society under DACF provides PMU support to the scheme at the central level and state PMUs of PM KISAN at the state level.
• Services of knowledge partners are engaged to identify clusters including export clusters and gaps in supply chains to target projects and prepare viable project reports.
• PMUs provide handholding support for implementation of the scheme and monitor the progress with the support of DLMC.
• PMU maintains the dashboard in collaboration with DLMC.

Output Outcome Monitory Framework

Outcome statement	Outcome Indicators
Improvement in resource provision for agriculture infrastructure	Percentage of fund used for completed projects. Additional investments leveraged due to agriculture infrastructure fund interventions (Rs. Crore)
Enhancement in agriculture infrastructure capacity	Total capacity addition in agriculture sector due to infrastructure activities funded (MT). Reduction in post-harvest losses and food wastages (%)
Promoting creation and modernization of agriculture infrastructure	No. of projects submitted by eligible entities. Disbursement of funds for eligible projects and investments (Rs. Crores)
Increase in amount of interest subvention and credit guarantee support provided	Amount outgo on account of interest subvention (Rs. Crore) No. of projects receiving interest subvention Percent projects receiving interest subvention (of the total projects offered loan under the scheme) Amount outgo on credit guarantee coverage (Rs. Crore) Average percent credit guarantee coverage of the total credit extension under the scheme.

How to Apply for Loan Under Agriculture Infrastructure Fund Scheme

Farmers and the entities listed above can avail a loan of up to Rs 2 crore from nationalized banks, commercial banks or any other financial institutions empanelled by the government for the scheme. The online registration process is simple and is done through the official portal.

Agriculture Infrastructure Fund Scheme Online Registration and Login for Beneficiaries

Here is the complete process to make beneficiary registration for Agriculture Infrastructure Fund Scheme.

STEP 1 - Visit the official website at https://agriinfra.dac.gov.in/

STEP 2 - On the homepage, go to the "Beneficiary Corner" section and click at the "Register Now" or "Beneficiary Registration" link, or directly open the registration page at https://agriinfra.dac.gov.in/Home/Registration

STEP 3 - The Agriculture Infrastructure Fund Scheme online registration form for beneficiaries will appear as shown below.

STEP 4 - Here enter the name, mobile number and Aadhaar number of the beneficiary and hit the "Send OTP" button. Verify the OTP to open the complete Agriculture Infrastructure Fund online application form.

STEP 5 - After registration, applicants can log in on the official portal using their email ID or beneficiary ID and password. The login page appears as shown below.

STEP 6 - After login, complete the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund Scheme online application process and submit the required documents for the loan.

Need for National Agriculture Infra Financing Facility

The role of infrastructure is very important for agriculture development and for taking the production dynamics to the next level. It is only through the development of infrastructure, especially at the post-harvest stage, that the produce can be optimally used with opportunity for value addition and a fair deal for farmers. Development of such infrastructure also addresses the vagaries of nature, regional disparities, development of human resource and realization of the full potential of the limited land resource.

Agriculture Infrastructure Fund - Guidelines

The complete guidelines of the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund Scheme can be downloaded in PDF format from the official website of Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare using the below given link.

Agriculture Infrastructure Fund Scheme Guidelines PDF

Implementation Period of AIF Scheme

The scheme is operational from 2020-21 and has been extended through 2032-33. The financing facility is being distributed through banks and financial institutions. Moratorium for repayment under this financing facility may vary subject to a minimum of 6 months and a maximum of 2 years.

Agriculture Infrastructure Fund Loan Benefits

There are always some benefits of availing a loan under any government scheme, and that is why there are loan schemes by the government. Below are some of the main benefits provided under the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund loan scheme.

1. The maximum loan tenure under the scheme is 7 years.
2. Interest subvention of 3% per annum on the loan availed under this scheme.
3. Credit guarantee coverage under CGTMSE scheme for loans up to Rs 2 crore.
4. The fee for this coverage is paid by the government. For FPOs, the credit guarantee can be availed from the facility created under the FPO promotion scheme of DACF and through NABSanrakshan.

Agriculture Infrastructure Fund Loan Scheme supports farmers, PACS, FPOs, agri-entrepreneurs and others in building community farming assets and post-harvest agriculture infrastructure.

FAQ's

How to apply for Agriculture Infrastructure Fund loan

Any eligible farmer or entity can apply for the AIF loan through the banks and financial institutions empanelled by the government, or through the online portal at agriinfra.dac.gov.in.

What is the loan amount under AIF loan scheme

Up to Rs 2 crore.

What is the Interest Subsidy on Loan

3% per annum.

Who can apply for Agriculture Infrastructure Fund loan

Farmers, Primary Agriculture Credit Societies (PACS), Marketing Cooperative Societies, Self Help Groups (SHGs), Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs), Joint Liability Groups (JLGs), Multipurpose Cooperative Societies, agri-entrepreneurs, agriculture startups and PPP agriculture projects sponsored by central or state agency or urban local body can apply for this scheme.

What is the maximum loan tenure under AIF scheme

7 years.

For more details, please read other frequently asked questions at https://agriinfra.dac.gov.in/Home/FAQs