[Apply] Operation Green Scheme 2026 Online Registration - 50% Subsidy for Air Transportation of Fruits, Vegetables

Central government launched Operation Green Scheme 2026 to control the prices of tomato, potato and onion (TOP). Under Operation Greens, the consignments of all notified fruits and vegetables, irrespective of price and quantity, are eligible for the 50 percent freight subsidy. The scheme is being implemented by the Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) and covers both long-term value chain projects and short-term transport and storage support. Check the list of fruits and vegetables covered, the pattern of assistance, eligible entities and how to submit a claim for the subsidy.

The government earlier ran the TOP Scheme to support the production of tomato, onion and potato and to keep their prices stable even during the lean season. Under Operation Greens, the focus has now moved beyond TOP to cover all fruits and vegetables. The scheme was announced in the Union Budget 2018-19 with an outlay of ₹500 crore, on the lines of Operation Flood, to promote Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs), agri-logistics, processing facilities and professional management.

Operation Green Scheme 2026

Operation Greens is being implemented by the Ministry of Food Processing Industries with two main components. The first is the Long Term Intervention, which supports Integrated Value Chain Development Projects for 22 perishable crops. The second is the Short Term Intervention, which provides a 50 percent subsidy on the transportation and storage of eligible crops. Since 2023-24, the short term measures have been transferred to the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.

Under the short term component, the government provides a 50 percent subsidy on the air transportation of 41 notified fruits and vegetables from the North-Eastern and Himalayan states to any place in the country. The airlines charge only 50 percent of the actual contracted freight charges from the supplier, consignor, consignee or agent, and claim the balance from the Ministry of Food Processing Industries.

Operation Green Scheme Online Registration

Eligible entities have to register on the official SAMPADA portal of the Ministry of Food Processing Industries before carrying out the transportation or storage of fruits and vegetables. The registration and claim submission are done fully online. Physical submission of claims is not accepted. The steps to apply are given below.

STEP 1 - Go to the official SAMPADA portal of the Ministry of Food Processing Industries at mofpi.gov.in and open the Operation Greens Scheme page.

STEP 2 - Read the scheme guidelines and check the eligibility criteria, the list of eligible crops and the notified production clusters.

STEP 3 - Register on the SAMPADA portal to get the user ID and password before uploading the online claim for the transportation or storage subsidy.

STEP 4 - Submit the claim for subsidy online along with the required documents. Claims submitted in physical mode are not accepted.

Operation Green Scheme Highlights

Detail	Information
Scheme Name	Operation Green Scheme
Launched By	Ministry of Food Processing Industries
Beneficiaries	FPOs, food processors, farmers, exporters, retailers
Benefit Amount	50 percent subsidy on transport and storage
Application Mode	Online on SAMPADA portal
Official Website	mofpi.gov.in

List of Fruits Eligible for Air Subsidy

Under Operation Greens, the consignments of all notified fruits and vegetables, irrespective of price and quantity, are eligible for the 50 percent freight subsidy. Around 21 fruits are eligible for the air subsidy, which includes the following.

1. Mango
2. Banana
3. Guava
4. Orange
5. Mousambi
6. Litchi
7. Kiwi
8. Lime
9. Lemon
10. Pineapple
11. Pomegranate
12. Papaya
13. Apple
14. Almond
15. Pear
16. Sweet Potato
17. Chikoo
18. Passion fruit
19. Jackfruit
20. Kinnow
21. Aonla

List of Vegetables Eligible for Air Subsidy

Around 19 vegetables are eligible for the air subsidy, which includes the following.

1. Onion
2. Potato
3. Tomato
4. French beans
5. Garlic
6. Brinjal
7. Capsicum
8. Carrot
9. Cauliflower
10. Bitter Gourd
11. Green Chillies
12. Cucumber
13. Peas
14. Large Cardamom
15. Okra
16. Ginger
17. Cabbage
18. Squash
19. Dry Turmeric

The air transportation of these commodities is allowed from all airports in the North-Eastern states, including Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim (Bagdogra) and Tripura, and the Himalayan states, including Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.

Operation Greens Mission Details

The important features and highlights of the Operation Greens scheme are given below.

Objective

The objective of the intervention is to protect the growers of fruits and vegetables from distress sale and to reduce post-harvest losses.

Eligible Crops

The eligible crops include mango, banana, guava, kiwi, litchi, papaya, citrus, pineapple, pomegranate and jackfruit, along with vegetables such as French beans, bitter gourd, brinjal, capsicum, carrot, cauliflower, green chillies, okra, onion, potato and tomato. Any other fruit or vegetable can be added in future on the recommendation of the Ministry of Agriculture or the state government.

Eligible Entities

Food processors, FPOs and FPCs, cooperative societies, individual farmers, licensed commission agents, exporters, state marketing and cooperative federations and retailers engaged in the processing or marketing of fruits and vegetables are eligible.

Pattern of Assistance

The ministry provides a subsidy at 50 percent of the cost of the following two components, subject to the cost norms.

1. Transportation of eligible crops from the surplus production cluster to the consumption centre.
2. Hiring of appropriate storage facilities for eligible crops for a maximum period of 3 months.

Features of Operation Green Scheme

Operation Green Scheme has helped farmers get better prices for their crops. The main features of the scheme are given below.

• The Food Processing Ministry is making every effort to run Operation Green Scheme smoothly and help farmers and traders.
• The central government is promoting TOP processing and also supporting the production of tomato, onion and potato.
• For this purpose, the government is compressing the supply chains and providing suitable climate infrastructure for the natural preservation of TOP crops.
• Under the scheme, various Farmer Producers Organisations (FPOs), agri-logistics and processing facilities are encouraged.

Operation Green Scheme has helped farmers get fair prices for their crops. Along with this, the TOP to Total approach is also helping people get tomato, onion and potato along with other fruits and vegetables at reasonable prices.

Operation Green Scheme Implementation

For the successful implementation of this scheme, the central government has mapped the fruit and vegetable clusters across the country. The government is also working on backward and forward linkages for FPOs so that they can take full advantage of the scheme. Operation Green Scheme was launched on the same lines as Operation Flood, which was the biggest dairy development programme of the central government.

Background

A similar transportation subsidy was extended to the Kisan Rail Scheme under Operation Greens. The scheme was brought into effect from October 12, and the Railways charges only 50 percent of the actual freight charges for the notified vegetables and fruits.

FAQ's

Is Operation Green Scheme still running in 2026?

Yes, Operation Green Scheme is still being implemented by the Ministry of Food Processing Industries. The short term measures, including the transport and storage subsidy, have been transferred to the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare since 2023-24.

How much subsidy is given under Operation Green Scheme?

The scheme provides a 50 percent subsidy on the transportation and storage of eligible fruits and vegetables, subject to the cost norms.

Where can I apply for Operation Green Scheme?

Eligible entities can register and submit their claims online on the SAMPADA portal of the Ministry of Food Processing Industries. Physical claims are not accepted.

For more details, visit the official link - https://www.mofpi.gov.in/Aatmanirbhar-Bharat/Operation-Greens-(TOP-to-Total)/about-og-total