The minister said that under the agriculture infrastructure fund, support is extended to cold storages in agri-export clusters, at farm gate level, for small and marginal farmers as well as big businesses, APMCs/mandis to reduce post-harvest losses and increase farmers' returns.
Minister of state for agriculture Ashish Jaiswal, who also attended the Nagpur event, emphasised the critical role of these assured funds in providing relief to farmers facing persistent financial challenges.
Eligible projects include warehouses, silos, cold chains, logistics facilities, and smart precision agriculture infrastructure. Loan applicants must contribute at least 10 per cent of the project cost, and an entity can apply for up to 25 projects, each eligible for a loan of up to Rs. 2 crore.
Thakur emphasised that YES-TECH has already been successfully implemented in 10 states, with claim payouts for Kharif 2023 completed across seven of them.
The centre has sounded an alarm over the likely impact of El Niño on India's 2026 southwest monsoon, warning that 315 districts across 12 states could face significant rainfall deficits during the crucial kharif cropping season.