The Government has undertaken a mid-term evaluation of Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF) scheme. Agro Economic Research Centre (AERC), Pune evaluated the scheme’s progress and performance, gather beneficiary feedback, and suggest improvements in December 2023. The evaluation highlighted positive impact of the scheme in terms of increase in farmers’ income, increase in agriculture storage capacity, growth of post-harvest and value addition infrastructure for agriculture produce, generation of employment and encouraging agriculture entrepreneurship. The detail of the outcomes of the study are as below: 

• i. 31% of the AIF units availed government subsidies also. Thus, they have been benefitted due to Convergence under AIF.
• ii. Around 85% of the total units, availability of AIF loan was the main reason for starting the unit.

3. On an average about 40% of the project cost of the AIF units was covered by AIF loan.
4. Around 70% of the units have taken loan for creating new infrastructure.

• v. The employment generated by AIF unit activities was relatively higher in peak seasons than in slack season. The average number of persons employed per unit in the peak season was found to be 11. The average was highest i.e. 27 in Rajasthan and lowest i.e. 5 in the state of Maharashtra.

6. Number of persons employed per unit was higher in case of agro processing units.
7. The total capacity created by sample AIF warehouse, cold storage units and silos is around 879 thousand MT. Also, these units have occupied total area of around 2900 thousand sq. feet.
8. Overall responses reveal satisfactory demand for products/services of AIF units and satisfactory income from these units.
9. Most of the units are situated in the rural areas indicating proximity to the agriculture production regions and around 54% of the respondents believed that incomes of farmers have increased because of the AIF units and majority of them reported that the increase in incomes was very high and satisfactory.
10. Around 54% of the respondents felt that overall, the farmers have benefitted due to the AIF facilities.

As on 30th June, 2025, Rs. 66,310 Crores have been sanctioned for 1,13,419 projects under AIF These sanctioned projects have mobilized an investment of Rs. 107,502 Crores in the agriculture sector. Major projects sanctioned under AIF include 30,202 custom hiring centres, 22,827 processing units, 15,982 warehouses, 3,703 sorting & grading units, 2,454 cold store projects, around 38,251 other kinds of post-harvest management projects and viable community farm assets.

This information was given by Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare,Shri Ramnath Thakur in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.

******

RC/ KSR/AR

(Release ID: 2158033)