§1Ways to get started

  • Agri-input retail shop (seed + fertiliser + pesticide licences)
  • Custom Hiring Centre for tractors/implements
  • Drone spraying service
  • Vermicompost / bio-fertiliser unit
  • Drip irrigation dealer-installer
  • Polyhouse / greenhouse fabrication and turnkey contractor
  • Soil testing lab

See the Business Encyclopedia

§2Hubs and clusters

  • No official cluster list verified for this slice

§3Licences and registration

  1. Seed dealer / seed producer licence under Seeds Act 1966 and Seeds (Control) Order 1983 (state agriculture department)
  2. Fertiliser dealer / manufacturer registration under Fertiliser (Control) Order 1985 (incl. bio-fertiliser and organic fertiliser specifications)
  3. Insecticide manufacturing / selling licence under Insecticides Act 1968; product registration with CIB&RC
  4. Drone: type certificate, UIN registration and remote pilot certificate under Drone Rules 2021 (DGCA Digital Sky)
  5. BIS certification for items under QCO (e.g. some agricultural machinery / pumps where notified)
  6. Udyam Registration (MSME) - free, online, PAN + Aadhaar based
  7. GST registration (mandatory above turnover threshold or for inter-state supply / e-commerce sale)
  8. Shops & Establishment registration or Factory Licence (Factories Act / state rules) depending on size and power use
  9. Consent to Establish and Consent to Operate from the State Pollution Control Board - category (Red/Orange/Green/White) as per CPCB 2025 harmonised list; White category is exempt from consent
  10. IEC (Importer Exporter Code) from DGFT if you import or export

§4Regulators

  • Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare (seeds, fertiliser control, insecticides)
  • Central Insecticides Board & Registration Committee (CIB&RC)
  • Fertiliser Control Order authorities (state agriculture departments)
  • DGCA (agricultural drones - Digital Sky)
  • FSSAI (if processing)

§5Government help

  • Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF)
  • Sub-Mission on Agricultural Mechanisation (SMAM) - custom hiring centres
  • Namo Drone Didi and drone subsidy via SMAM
  • RKVY-RAFTAAR Innovation & Agri-Entrepreneurship programme (agri startup grants via R-ABIs)
  • Per Drop More Crop (micro-irrigation, under RKVY)
  • MIDH (polyhouse, shade net, nursery)
  • Formation & Promotion of 10,000 FPOs
  • Agri Clinics & Agri Business Centres (ACABC)
  • PLI not applicable
  • Cross-sector schemes that also apply (detailed in the programmes file): Udyam benefits, PMEGP, PM Mudra Yojana, CGTMSE credit guarantee, Stand-Up India, MSE-CDP (cluster development), RAMP, MSME ZED and Lean certification, MSME Champions, TReDS, Startup India (SISFS seed fund, Fund of Funds, CGSS), RoDTEP, EPCG, Advance Authorisation, Districts as Export Hubs, ODOP (One District One Product)

All schemes

§6For exports

  • APEDA (for produce)
  • CHEMEXCIL (agrochemicals exports)

§7Pros and cons

Merits

  • Many schemes subsidise farmer purchases of inputs and machinery, which supports demand for dealers and installers
  • Low-capital entry via retail licences or service models (custom hiring, drone spraying)

Demerits

  • Three separate licence regimes (seed, fertiliser, insecticide) with state-level inspections
  • Credit sales to farmers; collections tied to harvest - long working capital cycle
  • Subsidy-driven demand is lumpy and depends on state scheme budgets

Sources