Context:

Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved the setting up of Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund (AHIDF) worth Rs. 15000 crore.

About:

• AHIDF would facilitate much-needed incentivization of investments in the establishment of such infrastructure for dairy and meat processing and value addition infrastructure and establishment of animal feed plants in the private sector.
  • Eligibility: The eligible beneficiaries under the Scheme would be
  • Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs)
  • MSMEs
  • Section 8 Companies
  • Private Companies and individual entrepreneurs with a minimum 10% margin money contribution by them. The balance 90% would be the loan component to be made available by scheduled banks.
• The government of India will provide 3% interest subvention to eligible beneficiaries. There will be 2 years moratorium period for the principal loan amount and 6 years repayment period thereafter.

Dairy Infrastructure Development Fund (DIDF)

• Government had earlier approved the Dairy Infrastructure Development Fund (DIDF) worth Rs. 10,000 crores.
• It aims to incentivize investment by the cooperative sector for the development of dairy infrastructure.