Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Government of India

The Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare is the central government ministry that sets policy and runs schemes for agriculture, horticulture and allied sectors. Its headquarters are at Krishi Bhawan, New Delhi.

Through its RKVY-RAFTAAR Agripreneurship Programme, delivered on agristartup.gov.in, the Ministry builds agritech infrastructure and supports incubation centres nationwide. The programme works with Knowledge Partners and RKVY Agri-Business Incubators based at IITs, NITs, ICAR institutes and agricultural universities. Pre-seed funding of up to ₹5 lakh per startup is available, along with seed funding of up to ₹25 lakh per startup, of which the scheme covers 85% and the incubatee 15%. The money is paid out in three instalments tied to milestones. By 2024, more than 1,700 agri-startups had received support through 5 Knowledge Partners and 24 R-ABIs, with total disbursements of roughly ₹122.5 crore.

To qualify, a startup must be incubated at an RKVY-RAFTAAR R-ABI and stay resident there for at least 2 months, operate in agriculture or allied sectors, and not be drawing grants from other government sources. The scheme suits early-stage agritech, food tech and farm-linked ventures looking for non-dilutive government grant funding with structured incubation, particularly pre-seed or seed stage founders who want government-backed incubation infrastructure and expert mentorship without surrendering equity.