Dept of Animal Husbandry & Dairying (DAHD)

The Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying (DAHD), under the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying, is the Government of India's nodal department for the livestock and dairy sectors — vital contributors to rural incomes and India's position as the world's largest milk producer. Headquartered in New Delhi, DAHD frames policy and runs schemes spanning cattle and buffalo breeding, dairy infrastructure, poultry, feed and fodder, and animal health.

Support for startups. DAHD promotes entrepreneurship through the Startup Grand Challenge in animal husbandry and dairying, which funds innovative solutions in digital livestock monitoring, quality testing, supply-chain efficiency, waste-to-wealth and animal nutrition. Winning startups receive grant funding, mentoring and pilot opportunities with established cooperatives.

Key schemes.

• Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund (AHIDF): a ₹15,000 crore fund offering interest subvention and credit support for dairy/meat processing, feed plants and breed-improvement infrastructure.
• National Programme for Dairy Development (NPDD) and Rashtriya Gokul Mission for breed development and milk-cooperative strengthening.
• National Livestock Mission, which includes entrepreneurship and capital-subsidy components for poultry, sheep, goat, piggery and feed ventures.

Eligibility. Startups, FPOs, cooperatives, individual entrepreneurs and MSMEs working in livestock, dairy, poultry, feed and allied value chains are eligible under the relevant schemes.

Who should apply. Founders building livestock-tech, dairy-tech, animal-health or feed/nutrition solutions seeking non-dilutive grants, subsidised credit and pilot access should monitor DAHD's Startup Grand Challenge and scheme notifications at dahd.nic.in.