Guwahati, 25 July (HS): Assam Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday urged farmers, Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs), cooperative societies, self-help groups and agri-entrepreneurs to make full use of the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF) scheme to strengthen the state's agricultural sector.

Addressing a state-level workshop on the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund at the Jyoti-Bishnu International Auditorium in Guwahati, the Chief Minister said the scheme would play a vital role in rebuilding and modernising Assam's agriculture sector in the aftermath of the recent floods.

He highlighted that the scheme offers a 3% interest subvention on loans up to ₹2 crore, bank financing of up to 90%, credit guarantee support and assistance for creating modern agricultural infrastructure such as warehouses, cold storage facilities, processing units, drones and solar-powered irrigation pumps. He said these facilities would help farmers improve production, storage, value addition and market access.

The Chief Minister informed that, as of Friday, 893 farmers, FPOs and agri-entrepreneurs in Assam had availed loans worth around ₹1,181.13 crore under the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund. During the workshop, sanctioned loan cheques were also formally handed over to several agri-entrepreneurs under the scheme.---------

Hindusthan Samachar / Sriprakash