Lok Sabha Question No. 3372 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-08-09
Subject: Rythu Bharosa Kendras
Ministry: CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
Asked by: Goddeti Madhavi, Reddeppa Nallakonda Gari

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## INiSTRY OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD & PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION

## DEPARTMENT OF FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.3372 TO BE ANSWERED ON 9TH AUGUSTI 2023

## RYTHU BHAROSA KENDRAS

## 3372n  SHRIMATI  GODDETI  MADHAVI:  SHRI  N. REDDEPPA:

Will the Minister of CONSUMER  AFFAIRS, FOOD  AND PUBLIC

DISTRIBUTION av+ttm wwt+, vrw air ItT#qfIq f%twr ++  be pleased  to state:

- (a) whether the Government intends to provide any support to the State Government of  Andhra Pradesh for  the  completion  of  4,200  godowns project to  be  undertaken to improve  the  functioning of  Rythu  Bharosa Kendras;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) if not, the reasons therefor; and
- (d) the details of other such measures being taken to improve storage facilities for farmers in the country?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE FOR MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT AND CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD & PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION (SADHVI NIRANJAN JYOTI)

(a) to  (c): Yes, Sir. Agriculture Infrastructure Fund  Scheme (AIF) launched during 2020, is a financing facility of ? 1,OO,000 crore which envisages interest  subvention  of  3% per annum upto a limit  of  t  2  crore and credit guarantee coverage upto that limit with the provision for reimbursement of  guarantee fee  for  a  maximum period of  7 years. The State of Andhra Pradesh has been tentatively  allocated  a sum of  Rs 6540 crore under AIF funding Agriculture Infrastructure Projects at farm-gate & aggregation points  (Primary Agricultural  Cooperative Societies,  Farmers Producer Organizations, Agriculture entrepreneurs, Start-ups, etc.) during the currency of the Scheme. Setting up warehouses and cold storages to reinvigorate the storing capacity is  an eligible activity under the AIF Scheme. In fact,  PACS, SHGs , FPOs, multi-service cooperatives and other farmer groups are encouraged to set up post-harvest infrastructure units and community farming assets to prevent post-harvest losses, add value to farmers and increase their income.

Rythu Bharosa Kendras are directly  involved in AIF finance through their  integration with  PACS which get  the  scheme benefits of  AIF for setting up warehouses apart from other infrastructures. 1367 projects of Rythu Bharosa Kendras / PACS with a total amount of Rs.1519.OO crore have been sanctioned which  includes in principle projects  sanctioned by NABARD. Out of the total  sanctioned projects, for 209 projects, a loan of Rs 25.OO crore has been disbursed upto 25th July, 2023.

(d):  Apart from AIF Scheme, the following schemes are  also being implemented in  DA&FW in  order to  improve the  storage facilities for farmers in the country:

Mission for  Integrated  Development of  Horticulture  (MIDH), provides assistanee for  development of  PostHarvest Management (PHM) for perishable horticulture crops which includes establishment of pack house, Integrated pack house,  pre-cooling,  staging cold room,  cold storages, controlled  atmosphere (CA) storage, reefer transport, setting  up of ripening chambers and Integrated cold chain supply system etc.

For creation of Agricultural Marketing Infrastructure (AMI) including Scientific Storage and to  reduce post-harvest and handling losses, the Ministry of Agriculture  &  Farmers Welfare, Govt. of India is  implementing sub-scheme 'Agricultural Marketing Infrastructure (AMI)' of Integrated Scheme for Agricultural Marketing (ISAM) across the country. It is an open ended,  Demand  driven and  credit linked scheme  wherein back-ended capital subsidy @ 25% and 33.33% is available based on the eligible category of the beneficiary. Assistance is available to  Individuals, Farmersl Groups of  farmers/growers, Agri-preneurs, Registered Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs), Cooperatives, state  agencies1  etc,

Rashtriya Krishi  Vikas  Yojana (Infrastructure and Assets): Projects under this stream will  emanate from State Agriculture Infrastrueture Development Programme (ASIDP). This  will normally  include  projects selected on the  basis of  normative requirement of  infrastructure,  actual availability thereof and the gap in agriculture infrastructure in the state viz. setting up of laboratories and testing facilities,  storage including coldstorages, mobile vans, agricultural  marketing, etc.

+++

+