Up to 90 percent subsidy for women entrepreneurs; 25 percent freight subsidy on the export of food processing products: Deputy Chief Minister
Keshav Prasad Maurya stated that the government has introduced attractive grants and subsidies to promote the food processing industry, increase farmers' income, and strengthen the rural economy in the state. Eligible projects focused on developing cold chains, value addition, agro-processing clusters, and backward-forward linkages can receive assistance of up to ₹10 crore. He instructed Additional Chief Secretary B.L. Meena to ensure the widespread dissemination of information regarding these schemes in rural areas. Farmers, self-help groups (SHGs), Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs), and potential entrepreneurs should be provided with clear, simple information concerning eligibility, grants, the application process, and available facilities. To this end, special awareness campaigns should be conducted at the district and block levels.
Mr. Maurya noted that special incentives are being offered to self-help groups, Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs), and individual farmers to develop decentralized food processing and storage facilities. Under this initiative, a grant covering 50% of the project cost—up to a maximum of ₹50 lakh—is available. This will facilitate the development of infrastructure for the processing, safe storage, and marketing of food products within rural areas, enabling farmers to secure better prices for their produce while creating new local employment opportunities.
The Deputy Chief Minister placed particular emphasis on encouraging women entrepreneurs to enter the food processing sector. He highlighted that, to foster self-reliance among women and promote entrepreneurship in rural areas, a subsidy of up to 90% is available for eligible solar energy-based projects. Furthermore, a 25% freight subsidy is being provided to encourage the export of food-processed products to eligible countries (excluding a specified list of nations). This will assist in bringing the state’s products to international markets.
