The agri-clinics are envisaged to provide expert services and advice to farmers on cropping practices, technology dissemination, crop protection from pests and diseases, market trends and prices of various crops in the markets and also clinic services for animal health etc. which would enhance productivity of crops and animals.
2. Who is eligible for getting Agri-clinic training?
Agriculture graduates or graduates in horticulture, animal husbandry, fisheries, and dairy, vet nary, poultry, Pisciculture & other allied activities can apply for a loan under the scheme.
3. What is the duration of the training programme?
Two months training course will be provided free of cost in various State Agricultural Universities and Departments and institutes. Initiated by Small Farmers Agri-business Consortium (SFAC) and coordinated by National Institute of Agricultural Extension Management (MANAGE), Hyderabad, the course comprises entrepreneurship development, business management as well as skill improvement modules in the chosen areas of activity.
4. What are the benefits of Agri-clinic centers?
Supplement the efforts of Government extension system
Make available supplementary sources of input supply and services to needy farmers
Provide gainful employment to agriculture graduates in new emerging areas in agricultural sector
5. What are ventures that can be taken up?
Soil and water quality cum inputs testing laboratories (with Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometers)
Pest surveillance, diagnostic and control services
Maintenance, repairs and custom hiring of agricultural implements and machinery including micro irrigation systems (sprinkler and drip).
Agri Service Centres including the three activities mentioned above (Group Activity).
Seed Processing Units.
Micro-propagation through Plant Tissue Culture Labs and Hardening Units.
Setting up of Vermiculture units, production of bio-fertilisers, bio-pesticides, bio-control agents.
Setting up of Apiaries (bee-keeping) and honey & bee products' processing units.
Provision of Extension Consultancy Services.
Hatcheries and production of fish finger-lings for aquaculture.
Provision of livestock health cover, setting up veterinary dispensaries & services including frozen semen banks and liquid nitrogen supply.
Setting up of Information Technology Kiosks in rural areas for access to various agriculture related portals
Feed Processing and testing units.
Value Addition Centers.
Setting up of Cool Chain from the farm level onwards (Group Activity).
Retail marketing outlets for processed agri-products.
Rural marketing dealerships of farm inputs and outputs
6. Who gives the subsidy and to what extent?
The Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India has launched various programmes for setting up of agri-clinics and agri-business centres. These schemes are mainly financed through NABARD and also under Horticulture Mini Mission Project being implemented in some states like Himachal Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Jammu and Kashmir and North-Eastern states. Agricultural graduates are eligible for loan for setting up the agri-clinic and agri-business centers as per provisions of the scheme. The maximum limit for granting loan is Rs. 10 lakh per head in case individual center and Rs. 50 lakh in case of group project. Depending on type of venture, loans can be repaid in 5-10 years as per easy installment plan with the initial moratorium of up to 2 years.
Unemployed youths other than agricultural graduates can take the financial help/ loan from various other schemes being financed/ sponsored by The Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India, National Horticulture Board, State Departments of Agriculture, Horticulture, Animal Husbandry and Fisheries. Horticulture Mini Mission Project with a financial outlay of Rs. 1000 crores being run in some hilly states of the country as mentioned earlier is also providing financial assistance upto Rs. 20 lakhs to start various horticultural ventures. To boost the horticultural activities in the country, the Central Government has given a quantum jump in financial outlay. Thus, agriculture has the real potential to provide the jobs to the unemployed youth in this country. This will increase the agriculture production, provide sustainability to the production and will also earn the country the valuable foreign exchange.
7. What is hand holding support ?
Graduates in agriculture and allied subject have been offered a lifetime opportunity for setting up agriclinics and agribusiness centres. In response to newspaper ads by SFAC, 10131 applications have been received by MANAGE. Out of a select list of 20 activities, maximum number of agricultural graduates opted for "Rural Marketing Dealerships of farm inputs and outputs" followed by "Facilitation and Agency of Agricultural Insurance Service" and the third priority was given to "Setting up of Vermiculture Units, Production of Bio-fertilizers, Bio-pesticides, etc."
M.R. Morarka-GDC Rural Research Foundation, having over seven years of experience in Agripreneurship has been recognized as a Training cum Resource Centre and to be a member of the "Network of Agri-clinics and Agribusiness Centres by Agriculture Graduates Scheme" of the Government of the India. Over 300 Agripreneurs have already been supported by the Foundation to establish Agribusiness Centres to produce Agri-biotechnology based inputs. At an average investment of Rs. 5.00 lakhs, they have earned an average of Rs. 2.5 lakhs net income in first year itself.
The Foundation has now evolved a comprehensive Agri-entrepreneurial Training design. The hand holding support by the Foundation shall provide an opportunity to conduct detailed feasibility study and approval of business plans. The entrepreneurs would also establish linkages for technical know-how, marketing and term loans during the training itself.
All 25 Agricultural Graduates in First Batch are also being given an offer for joint collaboration with Morarka Foundation to setup an integrated Organic Agriculture-Vermicasting Enterprise.
