This Ministry has launched a component called “Innovation and Agri-Entrepreneurship Development” under Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY-RAFTAAR) in 2018-19 intending to promote innovation and agri-entrepreneurship by providing financial support and nurturing the incubation ecosystem. This Ministry has appointed five Knowledge Partners (KPs) as Centres of Excellence and twenty-four RKVY-RAFTAAR Agribusiness Incubators (R-ABIs) from across the country for the implementation of this program. So far, 173 women startups/ entrepreneurs have been supported under the “Innovation and Agri-Entrepreneurship Development” program. Besides, the Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR) has been supporting Agri-based startups under the project called National Agriculture Innovation Fund (NAIF) initiated in years 2016-2017. So far, 50 Agri-Business Incubation Centers (ABICs) have been established and are operational in the ICAR network under the NAIF scheme. Potential women startups/ entrepreneurs can avail benefit from these programs.
Success stories of progressive women farmers and agricultural entrepreneurs are publicized through electronic, print, and social media and by organizing workshops, etc. A webinar on “Women in Agri-startups: Creating Value with Supply Chain Management” was organized during Mahila Kisan Diwas 2021 on 22.10.2021. An e-book depicting success stories of 75 progressive women farmers and agripreneurs was also released during the event.
Anand Agricultural University, Anand, Gujarat has been appointed as R-ABI under the “Innovation and Agri-Entrepreneurship Development” program and ICAR-Directorate of Medicinal & Aromatic Plants Research, Anand and ICAR- Directorate of Groundnut Research (DGR), Junagarh has been set up as Agri-Busines Incubation (ABI) centers under National Agriculture Innovation Fund of ICAR to ensure that women farmers of Gujarat get the maximum benefit of agriculture startups.
