Overview

The Integrated Scheme for Agricultural Marketing (ISAM) is a Central Sector scheme of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare, implemented by the Directorate of Marketing and Inspection (DMI). It came into effect on 1 April 2014 by merging six earlier schemes, including the Rural Godown Scheme (Gramin Bhandaran Yojana) and the scheme for Development/Strengthening of Agricultural Marketing Infrastructure, Grading and Standardization (AMIGS), into one umbrella programme.

Within ISAM, the main component relevant to individual farmers, Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) and agri-entrepreneurs is the Agricultural Marketing Infrastructure (AMI) sub-scheme. AMI gives a back-ended capital investment subsidy for building or renovating scientific rural godowns/warehouses, cold storages (up to 1,000 MT), grading and packing units, and other post-harvest marketing infrastructure. The goal is to cut distress sales and post-harvest losses by letting farmers store produce safely, pledge accredited warehouse receipts (e-NWRs issued under WDRA-accredited warehouses) to banks for loans, and sell when prices are favourable instead of immediately after harvest.

Important current status: NABARD, the nodal agency that channelises the subsidy, suspended fresh sanctions under the AMI sub-scheme with effect from 10 June 2025 because the approved budget allocation had been fully utilised. The ENSURE portal used for subsidy claims was disabled for new applications, and pending claims were kept in abeyance pending fresh budgetary allocation from the competent authority. Although the government had earlier approved continuation of AMI up to 31 March 2026, no fresh sanctions were being issued as of the latest available update, so farmers and promoters should confirm the live sanction status with their bank, NABARD regional office, or DMI before starting a project.

Key Benefits

• Back-ended capital subsidy of 25% to 33.33% of the project cost for eligible storage and marketing infrastructure.
  • 25% subsidy for general category promoters in plain areas.
  • 33.33% subsidy for women, Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe promoters, FPOs/FPCs, cooperatives, and projects in North Eastern States, Himalayan and hilly areas, and notified backward/tribal areas.
• Covers construction, expansion, and modernisation of rural godowns/warehouses, cold storage units (up to 1,000 MT capacity), grading, standardization and packing units, and allied marketing infrastructure.
• Enables WDRA (Warehousing Development and Regulatory Authority) accreditation of warehouses, allowing farmers to obtain Negotiable Warehouse Receipts (e-NWR) and pledge stored produce for post-harvest loans instead of selling in distress right after harvest.
• Subsidy is routed through NABARD and other approved financial institutions, so the project is backed by an institutional term loan rather than an unsecured arrangement.
• Helps reduce post-harvest losses, improves village-level storage capacity, and strengthens farmers' bargaining power in agricultural markets.

Eligibility Criteria

• Individual farmers, agri-entrepreneurs and partnership firms.
• Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) / Farmer Producer Companies (FPCs).
• Cooperatives, cooperative marketing federations, and cooperative processing societies.
• Self-Help Groups (SHGs), registered NGOs, and companies (including corporate sector entities).
• Panchayats, local bodies, State agencies, and autonomous government bodies/corporations.
• The project must be financed through a term loan from NABARD or another financial institution approved for refinance by the Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare (DA&FW) — the subsidy is linked to this institutional loan.
• The proposed warehouse/godown should be designed to meet WDRA accreditation norms if the promoter wants to issue Negotiable Warehouse Receipts.
• Projects must not have commenced construction before the term loan is sanctioned, as per scheme guidelines.

Documents Required

• Detailed Project Report (DPR) with cost estimates, technical specifications, and site details.
• Land ownership or long-term lease documents for the proposed site.
• Project profile-cum-claim form prescribed by NABARD/DMI for subsidy application.
• Chartered Accountant certification of project cost and fund utilisation.
• Identity and address proof (Aadhaar card) and bank account details of the applicant/entity.
• Registration certificate for FPOs, cooperatives, SHGs, or companies, where applicable.
• Caste certificate, where claiming the higher 33.33% subsidy as an SC/ST promoter.
• Term loan sanction letter from NABARD or the financing bank/financial institution.
• WDRA accreditation application/compliance documents, if the facility is intended to issue e-NWRs.

How to Apply

1. Prepare a project report: Work out the storage/marketing infrastructure project (godown, cold storage, grading unit, etc.) with cost estimates and technical details, ideally with help from a consultant familiar with NABARD-financed agri-infrastructure projects.
2. Approach a financing bank or NABARD: Submit the project proposal for a term loan, along with the subsidy claim, to a bank, cooperative bank, or NABARD-approved financial institution. The loan application should be complete with the project report and supporting documents for appraisal.
3. Term loan sanction: The financial institution appraises the project and sanctions the term loan if it meets lending and scheme criteria.
4. Advance subsidy claim: Within the prescribed period (typically around 60–90 days) after disbursal of the first loan instalment, the financing institution files a project profile-cum-claim form for advance subsidy with the NABARD regional office through the ENSURE portal.
5. Subsidy sanction and release: NABARD examines the claim and releases the eligible advance subsidy amount to the financing institution, which is credited to the project/beneficiary's loan account.
6. Project completion and final claim: On completion of construction, the financing institution requests a Joint Monitoring Inspection; after verification, NABARD releases the final subsidy amount.
7. Check current sanction status first: Because new sanctions have been on hold since mid-2025 pending fresh budget allocation, farmers should check with their bank/NABARD regional office or the DMI website (dmi.gov.in) for the latest word on whether new project proposals are being accepted before investing time and money in project preparation.

Important Points

• AMI/ISAM is not a direct cash-transfer or DBT scheme for individual farmers like some other subsidy programmes — it reimburses a percentage of project cost to the financing institution against an actual bank-financed storage/marketing project.
• As of the most recent update, fresh sanctions under the AMI sub-scheme are suspended due to full utilisation of the allocated budget; always verify current availability of funds before starting project construction.
• The subsidy is back-ended, meaning it is released in stages (advance and final) linked to loan disbursement and physical completion/verification of the project, not paid upfront.
• Warehouses built under AMI that seek WDRA accreditation can issue electronic Negotiable Warehouse Receipts (e-NWR), letting farmers get post-harvest finance against stored produce.
• Priority consideration and the higher subsidy slab are generally extended to women entrepreneurs, SC/ST promoters, FPOs, and projects in the North East and hilly/backward regions.
• For official and updated guidelines, beneficiaries should refer to the DMI website (dmi.gov.in) and NABARD's AMI scheme page, rather than relying solely on third-party sources.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is the Integrated Scheme for Agricultural Marketing (ISAM)?

ISAM is a Central Sector scheme of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare, implemented by the Directorate of Marketing and Inspection (DMI) since April 2014. Its Agricultural Marketing Infrastructure (AMI) sub-scheme provides a capital subsidy for building rural godowns, cold storages, and grading/packing units to improve agricultural marketing.

How much subsidy does the AMI sub-scheme of ISAM provide?

AMI provides a back-ended capital investment subsidy of 25% of the project cost for general category promoters in plain areas, and 33.33% for women, SC/ST promoters, FPOs/cooperatives, and projects located in North Eastern, hilly, and notified backward areas.

Is ISAM/AMI currently accepting new applications?

As of the latest available information, NABARD suspended fresh sanctions under the AMI sub-scheme from 10 June 2025 because the allocated budget was fully utilised, and the subsidy claim portal (ENSURE) was disabled for new claims. Applicants should check with NABARD, their financing bank, or DMI for the current status before starting a project.

Who is eligible to apply under AMI/ISAM?

Individual farmers, agri-entrepreneurs, Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs/FPCs), cooperatives, cooperative marketing federations, Self-Help Groups, NGOs, companies, panchayats, and State/local government agencies are eligible, provided the project is backed by a term loan from NABARD or another approved financial institution.

Can an individual farmer apply directly through the DMI website without a bank loan?

No. The AMI subsidy is linked to an institutional term loan. The promoter must first get a term loan sanctioned from NABARD or another eligible financing institution; the subsidy is then claimed by that institution on the promoter's behalf, not applied for independently through a farmer self-service DBT portal.

What is an e-NWR and how does it help farmers?

An electronic Negotiable Warehouse Receipt (e-NWR) is issued for produce stored in a warehouse accredited by the Warehousing Development and Regulatory Authority (WDRA). Farmers can pledge e-NWRs with banks to get loans against stored produce, which helps them avoid distress sales immediately after harvest.

What types of infrastructure projects are covered under AMI?

Eligible projects include construction or renovation of rural godowns/warehouses, stand-alone cold storage units (up to 1,000 MT capacity), grading, standardization and packing units, and other allied agricultural marketing infrastructure.

Where can I get the latest, authoritative information on this scheme?

Refer to the Directorate of Marketing and Inspection's official website (dmi.gov.in) and NABARD's AMI scheme page for the latest operational guidelines, subsidy rates, and sanction status, since scheme parameters and fund availability can change.