Meghalaya Agriculture Response Vehicle Scheme

The scheme “Meghalaya Agriculture Response Vehicle Scheme” was launched by the Department of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, Government of Meghalaya, . It aims to employ, engage, and empower the youth and rural communities by promoting entrepreneurship in agriculture logistics, addressing critical gaps in farm-to-market connectivity. The scheme provides easy access to credit through onboarding of multiple partner banks, coupled with substantialgovernment support in the form of upfront capital subsidy and EMI co-payment. By enabling entrepreneurs to procure small commercial vehicles, pickups, trucks, and refrigerated carriers, it seeks to improve transportation efficiency, reduce post-harvest losses, and enhance market access for farmers, especially in remote areas. Implemented by the Department of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, the scheme integrates with 1917iTeams for generating transport demand, GPS-enabled tracking, and providing training and capacity building—ensuring beneficiaries can operate profitably while strengthening the agricultural value chain in Meghalaya. > Objectives of the scheme Economic growth of the state: With 77% of the population involved with agriculture and allied sectors in rural areas, the PRIME ARVS is envisaged to accelerate and sustain economic development of the state through entrepreneurship development, job creation in the rural community. Encourage entrepreneurship among rural youth: The scheme is intended to encourage entrepreneurship among the rural youth by providing them easy credit access and financial grant to buy commercial vehicles. These vehicles can be used by the entrepreneurs to earn their income by providing transportation solution to local farmers, traders, and buyers. Logistics solution to farm produce: To provide a transportation solution to evacuate farms produce to intended destinations such as markets, processing facilities or aggregation centres. Similarly, the vehicles can also transport various farming inputs from the market for timely and successful agricultural operations. Lower transportation cost: Introducing more numbers of commercial goods carriers will potentially help reduce logistics cost for the marginal farmers by fostering competition among the logistics providers. Various farmers groups who will be benefitted with the vehicles under the scheme will significantly reduce the transportation cost of their own grown/ aggregated farm products. Market accessibility to farmers from remote area: The majority of the vehicles are intended for entrepreneurs residing in remote areas so that farmers living in their proximity from nearby villages and clusters can be benefitted. The farmers residing in these areas can quickly avail their transportation services to sell their farm produce and buy back their essentials from the markets. Increase farmer’s profitability: Timely evacuation of farm produce will have a significant impact on farmer’s profitability by minimizing spoilage of perishable products; reducing additional storage costs such as refrigeration, storage facilities; increasing market accessibility; maintaining cash flow through quicker sales and lastly by enhancing customer satisfaction by building trust and long-term relationship with the buyers. Financial grant and easy credit to the entrepreneurs to buy goods carriers 300 Prime Agriculture Response Vehicles (Prime-ARVs) to be distributed across Meghalaya with 50% financial aid on the total cost of the vehicle including the interest charged by the bank to finance the vehicle. Demand creation through 1917iTeams Vehicles will be registered with 1917iTeams who will provide transportation demand calls from customers to the vehicle owners. Vehicles will be pre-fitted with GPS device ensuring trackability of the vehicle by 1917iTeams. The live location of the vehicle will help in immediately connecting the farmers/ aggregators/ buyers to their nearest available vehicle.