Awareness: Alipurduar dist promotes ‘agricultural infrastructure fund’
Alipurduar: The Alipurduar district administration is boosting efforts to increase awareness of the Agricultural Infrastructure Fund (AIF) among stakeholders, including agricultural entrepreneurs, farmers, cooperative societies, and farmer producer organisations.
In a recent meeting, the administration discussed the AIF scheme with representatives from the Alipurduar Chamber of Commerce and Industries; Ethelbari Industrial Owners Association; Cold Storage Owners Association; Alipurduar Rice Mill Owners Association; Dooars branch of the Indian Tea Association and local banks. The focus was on reviewing the scheme’s benefits and planning future promotional activities.
District Magistrate R Vimala emphasised the administration’s commitment to supporting the district’s entrepreneurs.
“We are fully aligned with the interests of our local entrepreneurs. Our strong partnership with banks ensures a seamless application process through the designated portal. Comprehensive information on eligibility, loan requirements, and application procedures is easily accessible online. So far, 57 individuals in Alipurduar have already reaped the benefits of this scheme,” she stated.
The administration highlighted its year-round campaigns aimed at educating the public on accessing bank loans under the AIF scheme and the government subsidies available for agricultural infrastructure projects. The administration is actively encouraging more entrepreneurs to take advantage of these financial opportunities.
The AIF aims to enhance post-harvest management infrastructure by providing medium to long-term loans for small, medium, and large-scale commercial activities, such as the construction of warehouses and cold storage facilities. The scheme also seeks to promote community farming.
Under the AIF scheme, loans of up to Rs 2 crore are available at a highly competitive interest rate of just 3 per cent, significantly lower than standard bank loan rates.
Deputy Director of Agriculture, Nikhil Kumar Mandal, added: “Awareness about the AIF is still limited among the public but we are continuously encouraging entrepreneurs to explore this opportunity. All relevant information is accessible through the government’s dedicated portal.”
