Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Government of India

Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Government of India

The Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare is the apex government body responsible for formulating and implementing policies for agricultural development in India. It oversees a wide portfolio of programs — from crop insurance and price support to rural credit, precision farming, and agritech innovation.

Startup & Innovation Programs

The Ministry channels significant funding toward agricultural innovation through schemes like the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY-RAFTAAR), which supports agri-business incubation, and Agri Startups funding windows under mission-mode projects. It collaborates with ICAR institutes, Krishi Vigyan Kendras, and state agricultural universities to identify and support early-stage ventures in food, farming, and allied sectors.

Key Schemes for Startups

• RKVY-RAFTAAR: Supports agri-startups with seed funding (up to ₹25 lakh for ideation stage, ₹1 crore+ for growth stage) through a network of over 24 agri-business incubators across India
• Sub-Mission on Agricultural Mechanization (SMAM): Provides subsidies for farm machinery and technology adoption
• Digital Agriculture Mission: Invites agritech solutions for precision farming, remote sensing, and AI-driven crop advisory
• PM-KISAN and PM Fasal Bima Yojana: Create demand ecosystems that agritech startups can build upon

Who Should Apply

Agritech startups, food-processing entrepreneurs, precision farming innovators, and rural fintech players looking for government-backed grants, incubation support, or pilot deployment opportunities in the farm sector. The Ministry also offers access to farmer networks and government procurement channels — a significant advantage for B2G and B2B2C agritech models.

Track Record

RKVY-RAFTAAR alone has supported 2,000+ agri-startups since 2019, disbursing hundreds of crores in seed and scale-up funding through its national incubation network.