Annual Report 2009-2010 - Department of Agriculture & Co-operation

Annual Report 2009-2010
66
10.39 Chaudhry Charan Singh National Institute
of Agricultural Marketing: Chaudhry Charan
Singh National Institute of Agricultural Marketing
(NIAM) came into being in August 1988 in Jaipur
(Rajasthan) to offer specialised training, research,
consultancy, and education in the field of
agricultural marketing. NIAM is an autonomous
body under the aegis of the Ministry of
Agriculture, Government of India.
10.40 The Institute has been imparting training
to senior and middle-level executives of
agricultural and horticultural departments, agroindustries,
corporations, state marketing boards,
agricultural produce marketing committees and
apex-level cooperatives, commodity boards,
export houses recognised by the Agricultural and
Processed Food Products Development
Authority (APEDA), commercial banks, and nongovernmental
organisations.
10.41 The Institute has prepared agricultural
marketing plans for the development of
agricultural marketing in a number of states. It
also prepares project reports for setting up
terminal markets and other agri-business
projects. The Institute has prepared a Master
Marketing Plan for the Royal Government of
Bhutan (RGoB), which was completed in 2008-
09.
10.42 Small Farmers' Agri-business Consortium
(SFAC): The Small Farmers' Agri-business
Consortium was registered by the Department
of Agriculture and Cooperation as a Society under
the Societies Registration Act, 1860 on 18
January 1994. The members at present are the
RBI, SBI, IDBI, EXIM Bank, Oriental Bank of
Commence, NABARD, Canara Bank, NAFED,
United Phosphorous Ltd., etc. The mission of the
Society is to support innovative ideas for
generating income and employment in rural
areas by promoting private investment in agribusiness
projects. The Scheme is being
implemented by SFAC in close association with
commercial banks for providing i) venture capital
to agribusiness projects, and ii) assist farmer and
producer groups in the preparation of quality
Detailed Project Reports (DPR). SFAC has
established 18 state-level SFACs by contributing
corpus funds.
10.43 The Central Sector Scheme for Agribusiness
Development was approved by the
Government on 19 July 2005 for implementation
during the remaining period of the Tenth Plan.
The Scheme is being continued during the
Eleventh Plan, with an allocation of Rs. 120 crore.
10.44 The main objectives of the Scheme are
to facilitate the setting up of agri-business
ventures in participation with banks, catalyse
private investment in the setting up of agribusiness
projects, thereby providing an assured
market to producers for increasing rural income
and employment, strengthening backward
linkages of agri-business projects with
producers, assisting farmers, producer groups,
and agriculture graduates to enhance their
participation in the value chain through project
development facilities, and arranging visits, etc.,
of agri-preneurs setting up identified
agribusiness projects.
10.45 The venture capital scheme provides
equity to qualifying agri-business projects on the
recommendations of the banks financing the
project, of up to 10 per cent of the total project
cost, or 26 per cent of the total project equity or
Rs. 75 lakh, whichever is lower. In special cases,
higher equity is possible for projects located in
hilly and North Eastern states and those
recommended by state agencies/state SFACs.
10.46 Programmes for the North Eastern
States: Details of programmes being executed
in the North Eastern states are given in Annexure-
10.1.