The Union Cabinet has approved the continuation of the Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund (AHIDF) till 2025-26 with an outlay of Rs.29,610.25 crore. The scheme will incentivize investments in various segments of the livestock sector, such as dairy, meat, animal feed, breed multiplication, animal waste management and veterinary drugs and vaccines. The scheme will also provide interest subvention and credit guarantee to eligible entities, including individuals, private companies, FPOs, MSMEs, Section 8 companies and dairy cooperatives. The AHIDF aims to boost the productivity and profitability of the livestock sector, create employment opportunities, enhance farmers’ income and promote exports of livestock products.
The AHIDF was launched in 2020-21 under the Infrastructure Development Fund (IDF) with an initial outlay of Rs.15,000 crore for five years. The scheme has so far created an impact by adding 141.04 LLPD of milk processing capacity, 79.24 lakh metric ton of feed processing capacity and 9.06 lakh metric ton of meat processing capacity by adding to the supply chain since its inception. The scheme has been able to increase processing capacity by 2-4% in dairy, meat and animal feed sector.
The dairy sector will soon get a comprehensive programme to boost milk production, building on the success of existing schemes such as Rashtriya Gokul Mission, National Livestock Mission, and Infrastructure Development Funds for dairy processing and animal husbandry. The programme will also focus on curbing the spread of foot and mouth disease in milch animals. India is the world’s largest milk producer with a record production of 230.58 million tonne (MT) in 2022-23.
The implementation of the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) will be stepped up to enhance aquaculture productivity from the existing 3 to 5 tonne per hectare and double exports of fisheries products to Rs 1 trillion, generating 5.5 million job opportunities in the near future. The PMMSY was launched in FY21 with an investment of Rs 20,050 crore across states. The scheme focuses on quality fish production, species diversification, promotion of export-oriented species, branding, standards and certification. It also covers creation of post-harvest infrastructure with emphasis on cold chain and development of modern fishing harbours and fish landing centres.
The AHIDF is a major step towards achieving the Prime Minister’s goal of doubling farmers’ income, tapping the livestock sector by bringing the private sector investment, bringing in the latest technologies for processing and value addition, and contributing to the Nation’s economy by promoting the export of Livestock products.