Supporting agripreneurs

New fund should support innovation

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To support innovation in agriculture, the government is planning to launch an "Agri Fund for Startups & Rural Entrepreneurs" (AgriSure) with an initial corpus of ₹750 crore in Category-II alternative investment fund. Funded by the Ministry of Agriculture, National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard), and other financial institutions, AgriSure will aim to provide comprehensive support to agripreneurs by setting up an ecosystem for better financing and offering both equity and debt support options. This publicprivate collaboration, with the fund managed by NABVENTURES, a wholly owned investment subsidiary of Nabard, is designed to foster innovation and implement information technology-based solutions in the agricultural sector. Its primary objectives include enhancing the farm produce value chain, creating rural infrastructure, generating employment, and supporting farmers producer organisations. Given that India's agriculture is increasingly susceptible to the impacts of climate change and severe weather conditions, the establishment of this fund is a timely initiative.