Last Updated: 28 September 2026

Investments on Rise in Agro-processing and infrastructure Projects^[1]
-- Primary processing e.g. spice processing, atta chakki, oil expeller, milling etc
-- Storage facilities e.g. Warehouses, cold stores, silos etc
-- Sorting and grading units, seed processing units etc
-- Crop residue management systems, compressed biogas plants etc
-- Solar pumps

Awards:

-- 9 of the Top 10 districts across India for Agri Infra Fund belong to Punjab^[1:1]
-- Punjab is 1st in implementing Agriculture Infrastructure Fund scheme across India^[2]

Till March 2026: 32,823 projects sanctioned worth ₹7,597 crore & ₹7,132 crore disbursed - Punjab 1st in India^[3]
-- 8 of top 10 districts in India under AIF are from Punjab^[4]

April 2022 - March 2025^[5]

Punjab has sanctioned Total projects worth estimate ₹8,000+ crores
-- Total projects sanctioned: 21,740+

MoU with SIDBI^[6]

-- Setting up of Automated beverage unit, Hoshiarpur
-- Chilli processing center, Abohar
-- Value added processing facility, Jalandhar
-- Ready-to-eat food manufacturing unit at Fatehgarh Sahib and other projects amounting to ₹250 crore

^[7]

¶ Agriculture Infrastructure Fund

• AIF Scheme offers 3% interest assistance for up to 7 years on term loans for eligible activities^[8]
• The maximum rate of interest that the banks can charge is 9% and the benefit can be availed for an amount up to Rs 2 Crores^[8:1]

¶ Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI)^[9]

• SIDBI is MSME lender for Agro-processing and infrastructure

November 2023

• Committed Rs 250 crore for the 2023-24 fiscal year
• SIDBI has already received 4 detailed project reports (DPRs) with an investment of Rs 140 crore from Punjab government for setting up common facility centre for agro-processing

REFERENCES:

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1. https://www.babushahi.com/full-news.php?id=187118 ↩︎ ↩︎

2. https://www.babushahi.com/full-news.php?id=196916 ↩︎

3. https://www.punjabnewsline.com/news/₹7597cr-sanctioned-for-32823-aif-projects-₹7132cr-disbursed-to-beneficiaries-bhagat-103347 (Punjab Govt Press Release) ↩︎

4. https://indianmasterminds.com/news/punjab-aif-scheme-top-state-agriculture-infrastructure-fund-projects-193186/ ↩︎

5. https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/chandigarh-news/punjab-got-investments-worth-8-000-cr-for-projects-under-aif-101741376518120.html ↩︎

6. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1U5IjoJJx1PsupDLWapEUsQxo_A3TBQXX/view ↩︎

7. https://x.com/aif_punjab/status/1806269332504084556 ↩︎

8. https://www.babushahi.com/full-news.php?id=176451 ↩︎ ↩︎

9. https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/punjab/sidbi-commits-250-cr-to-boost-infrastructure-agro-processing-sector-566230 ↩︎