NHB

§1Who it is for

• Individual, proprietorship/partnership/LLP firm, company, trust, cooperative, society, SHG, FPO, APMC etc.
• Only one member of a family (spouse, parents, sons and daughters), only once, can get help under any NHB scheme (21 Aug 2026 circular)
• Ineligible: serving government employees (except Group-D), those with a pension of ₹10,000 or more, office-holders such as MPs/MLAs/ministers, and a 'group of farmers'
• Open field horticulture: area above 2 hectares; cold storage: 5,001–20,000 MT capacity (1,000 MT+ in the North East)
• A bank term loan is required: the term loan must not be less than the subsidy

Check your eligibility in 6 questions

§2How much you get

1. 21 Aug 2026 circular: open field, protected cultivation, tissue culture, integrated mushroom units, post-harvest/processing and cold storage – all at 35% in general areas and 45% in NER/Himalayan/scheduled areas/specified UTs
2. Cold storage: maximum subsidy ₹2.00 crore per project (the old ₹7.5 crore figure no longer applies)
3. Open field commercial horticulture cost norm: ₹100 lakh per project (above 2 ha)
4. Land cost will not be counted in the eligible project cost
5. Back-ended subsidy: linked to the bank loan, adjusted after the project is complete and a joint inspection is done

§3Documents

Tick each one as you get it ready.

• Self-attested PAN and Aadhaar
• Land ownership / lease documents with non-transfer undertaking
• Bank term loan sanction letter
• DPR
• CA certificate of promoter investment
• Non-availment certificate and the other NHB forms
• Application fee as per the project-cost slab (₹2,000 for up to ₹20 lakh, rising to ₹50,000 above ₹200 lakh, plus 18% GST)

§4How to apply

1. 1

   Apply online at nhb.gov.in (upload all documents, signed)

2. 2

   Get the term loan sanctioned by the bank

3. 3

   Grant of Clearance (GoC) from NHB – do NOT start work on site before this (only preliminary work such as levelling, boundary, borewell and the electricity application is allowed)

4. 4

   Complete the project and get a completion certificate

5. 5

   Joint Inspection; the subsidy is released or adjusted through the bank

Open the official portal

§5Why applications get rejected

• Starting project work on site before the Grant of Clearance – application rejected (NHB Operational Guidelines 2025)
• A family member has already received NHB assistance (21 Aug 2026 circular)
• The applicant is in an ineligible category: government employee (except Group-D), pension of ₹10,000+, elected representative, group of farmers (21 Aug 2026 circular)

§6Businesses it helps

• Agro-Tourism Farm₹87.7 lakh
• Banana Ripening Chamber₹48 lakh
• Citrus Fruit and Jam Trading (Malta, Orange, Galgal)₹43 lakh
• Cold Storage (Potato, 2000 MT)₹1.3 crore – ₹1.6 crore
• Dry Flowers₹22 lakh
• Ganoderma (Reishi) Mushroom Farming₹10.3 lakh – ₹12.3 lakh
• Gerbera Cultivation (Polyhouse)₹49.4 lakh
• Greenhouse Flower Farming (Floriculture)₹23.1 lakh
• Himalayan Flower Souvenir Shop (Tourist Packaging)₹22 lakh
• Mushroom Cultivation & Processing₹13.7 lakh – ₹20 lakh
• Organic Himalayan Spice Farming₹5 lakh
• Organic Vegetable Export Business₹45 lakh
• Plant Nursery (Fruit / Ornamental)₹15 lakh
• Polyhouse Farming (1 acre)₹33.6 lakh – ₹47 lakh
• Rose Cultivation (Shade Net House)₹49.2 lakh
• Vertical Farming Demonstration Unit for Tourists₹1.2 crore

¶Sources

1. NHB Operational Guidelines, January 2025 (effective 01.01.2025): eligible organisations, Scheme 1 cost norms, cold storage chapter, GoC rule. Archived in ~/mw-subsidy/content/sources/nhb-operational-guidelines-2025.pdf
2. NHB Public Circular No.NHB/CC/Guidelines/2026-27 dated 21 Aug 2026: family rule, ineligible categories, rates cut to 35%/45%, cold storage cap ₹2 crore, land excluded. Archived in ~/mw-subsidy/content/sources/nhb-public-circular-2026-08-21.pdf
3. NHB online application page

Checked on 4 October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Report it. For information only — not legal or financial advice; confirm with the department or bank.