About Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund (AHIDF):
- It is a central sector scheme under the Prime Minister’s “Atma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyan” stimulus package.
- It is aimed at boosting investments in animal husbandry infrastructure.
- Implementing Agency: Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry, and Dairying.
- Objectives:
- To expand milk and meat processing capacity and help small rural producers connect with organised markets.
- To ensure that livestock farmers get better prices for their milk, meat, and other animal products.
- To make good-quality milk and meat products that can be easily available for people across the country.
- To meet the growing demand for protein-rich food and help reduce malnutrition, especially among children.
- To encourage entrepreneurship and create more job opportunities in the livestock sector.
- To promote exports and increase the export contribution in the milk and meat sector.
- To make available quality concentrated animals feed.
- The scheme will incentivize investments for
- Dairy processing and value addition infrastructure.
- Meat processing and value addition infrastructure.
- Animal Feed Plant.
- Breed multiplication farm.
- Animal Waste to Wealth Management (Agri-waste management).
- Veterinary vaccine and drug production
- The eligible beneficiaries under the Scheme would be:
- Farmer Producer Organization (FPO)
- Private companies
- Individual entrepreneurs
- Section 8 companies
- Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs)
- Benefits
- The beneficiaries are to contribute a minimum of 10% margin money as investment. The balance 90% would be the loan component to be made available by scheduled banks.
- The Government of India will provide 3% interest subvention to eligible beneficiaries.
- From the Credit Guarantee Fund, Credit guarantee would be provided to those sanctioned projects which are covered under MSME-defined ceilings.
- Credit Guarantee Fund: Set up and managed by NABARD.
