Government launches implementation guidelines for Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund

The government today launched the implementation guidelines for Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund (AHIDF) worth Rs 15,000 crore. The fund was approved by the Union Cabinet last month under the Atma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan stimulus package for ensuring growth in several sectors.

Launching the guidelines, Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Minister Giriraj Singh said, the government has been implementing several schemes for incentivizing the investment made by the dairy cooperative sector for the development of dairy infrastructure.

The Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying, under the newly created Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying said in a tweet, "Shri @girirajsinghbjp, Hon'ble Minister, @Dept_of_AHD, and @drsanjeevbalyan, Hon'ble Minister of State, @Dept_of_AHD launched Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund today to help increase the income of #AnimalHusbandryFarmers & encourage private #investments in the sector!"

Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund (AHIDF)

The AHIDF has been set up as MSMEs and Private companies also need to be promoted and incentivized for their involvement in processing and value addition infrastructure. He said, India is engaged in breed improvement to increase milk production and on the other hand also taking care of the processing sector.

India is producing milk of 188 million tonnes and by 2024 milk production is expected to rise up to 330 million tonnes. He said, only 20 to 25 per cent milk is coming under the processing sector and Government is trying to bring the same up to 40 per cent.

He also informed that the Dairy Processing Infrastructure Development Fund is being implemented for infrastructure development in the cooperative sector and AHIDF is the first type of scheme for the private sector. The Minister said millions of farmers will be benefited once the infrastructure is created and more milk will be processed. This will also increase the export of dairy products which is presently negligible.

The eligible beneficiaries under the Scheme will be Farmer Producer Organizations, MSMEs, Private Companies and individual entrepreneurs with a minimum 10 per cent margin money contribution by them. The balance 90 per cent would be the loan component to be made available by scheduled banks. The Minister said the government will provide 3 per cent interest subvention to eligible beneficiaries.