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Bengaluru: Millet and cold-pressed oil products benefitted the most in Karnataka under the Prime Minister Formalization of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (PMFME) scheme, which has been extended by one more year with the state being asked to cover 5,000 beneficiaries.
Between 2020-21 and 2024-25, a total of 6,585 beneficiaries - individual micro enterprises, producer cooperatives and so on - received subsidies and marketing support under the scheme.
“In five years, we covered 6,585 beneficiaries with a total investment of Rs 758 crore, including subsidies,” Agriculture Minister N Chaluvarayaswamy told a news conference.
“The PMFME has been extended for one more year. Karnataka has been given a target of 5,000 beneficiaries,” the minister said. “There’s more awareness now. Even our officials have enough clarity to meet this target.”
Under PMFME, the funding ratio is 60:40 between the Centre and the state.
“Karnataka is the only state providing a 15% top-up to beneficiaries,” Chaluvarayaswamy said, adding that beneficiaries get a subsidy of up to Rs 15 lakh.
Karnataka has 14 incubation centres under the supervision of universities. “We’re also starting 13 cold storage facilities,” the minister said.
According to Karnataka State Agricultural Produce Processing and Export Corporation Ltd (KAPPEC), the top three beneficiaries of PMFME are millet units, oil mills and jaggery units.
“You’ll be surprised to know that the state has 1,700 millet units, which are even exporting to the US. Then, we have 783 oil mills, the highest being in Davangere and Chitradurga,” KAPPEC managing director C N Shiva Prakash said.
Prakash explained that district resource persons would hand-hold beneficiaries right from preparation of detailed project reports to delivery of subsidy.
“We already have 400 resource persons. Now that we have to meet the target of 5,000 beneficiaries, we’re getting 150 resource persons more,” he said.
Cut-off box - Will meet sowing target says agri min Agriculture minister N Chaluvarayaswamy said the state will meet its target of sowing on 84 lakh hectares comfortably. “We’re already at 61% sowing all over the state. We expect rains up to July-end and mid-August. So we’ll meet our target. There’s no shortage of seeds or fertilizers” he said.