New Delhi: In the second tenure of NDA regime, Narendra Modi government has launched slew of initiatives to empower farmers and the farming community. Doubling farmers’ income has been one of the key goals set by Prime Minister and the government is rolling out various measures to achieve the same.

As PM Modi gave a clarion call for creation of AtmaNirbhar Bharat, the Centre has launched Rs 15,000 Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund. This move will most likely improve income of farmers catering to livestock and will give impetus to investment and sectorial infrastructure in the dairy sector.

The government also launched nationwide artificial insemination program under which 2.64 lakh artificial insemination were performed, thereby in turn benefitting 1.73 lakh farmers.

Special drive was also undertaken to provide concessional credit to PM-KISAN beneficiaries through Kisan Credit cards.

Initiatives to boost Animal Husbandry & Dairy Sector:

1) Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund

The Prime Minister has announced for setting up of Rs. 15000 crore Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund under AtmaNirbhar Bharat Abhiyan stimulus package.
AHIDF has been approved for incentivizing investments by individual entrepreneurs, private companies, MSME, Farmers Producers Organization (FPOs) and Section 8 companies to establish
(i) the dairy processing and value addition infrastructure,
(ii) meat processing and value addition infrastructure and
(iii) Animal Feed Plant. Interest subvention is provided @ 3% to all eligible entities. So far, Rs 150 Cr. project loan has been sanctioned by Banks under AHIDF.Eligible entities can apply for loan online at https://ahidf.udyamimitra.in.

(2) Nationwide Artificial Insemination Programme – Phase II

Nationwide Artificial Insemination Programme for 20,000 bovines per district for 600 districts in the country was recently launched by the Government in September, 2019 which is one of the largest such programmes with 100% central assistance for undertaking breed improvement. Under “Nationwide Artificial Insemination Programme” Phase I, 76 lakh bovines have been covered, 90 lakh AIs performed and more than 32 lakh farmers have been benefitted. The NAIP Phase-II has been initiated from 1st August 2020 in 604 districts (50,000 animals per district). So far, under NAIP Phase-II, 2.64 lakh AIs performed and 1.73 lakh farmers have been benefited.

(3) Interest subvention on working capital loans for Dairy Sector

Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying has introduced a new component “interest subvention on Working capital loans for Dairy sector” as one of the component under its scheme “Supporting Dairy Cooperatives and Farmer Producer organizations engaged in dairy activities” (SDC&FPO). Under the interest subvention component of SDCFPO scheme so far Rs 100.85Cr has been approved as interest subvention amount against eligible total working capital loan amount of Rs 8031.23 Cr for milk unions as on 16.10.2020.

(4) Kisan Credit card for Animal Husbandry & Dairy Farmers

A Special drive has been undertaken to provide concessional credit to PM-KISAN beneficiaries through Kisan Credit Cards. Animal Husbandry & Dairying farmers have been included in this drive. This will enable such farmers to gain access to institutional credit at concessional interest rate. 2.5 crore farmers will be covered and will benefit from credit flow of about Rs 2 lakh crores. Till date 51.23 lakh applications of Dairy farmers have been collected by Milk Unions and 41.40 lakh applications forwarded to the Banks.