Centre Issues Guidelines for Bio-Resource Centres under NMNF

To promote natural farming and reduce farmers’ reliance on chemical inputs, the central government launched the National Mission on Natural Farming (NMNF) in November 2024. As part of this initiative, the government aims to establish 10,000 Bio-resource Centres (BRCs) at the cluster level. These BRCs will provide ready-to-use bio-inputs, training, and technical support to farmers. However, the financial assistance of ₹1 lakh per centre has been questioned by experts as inadequate, especially for infrastructure development.

Why in the News?

The Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare released guidelines on April 23, 2025, for setting up Bio-input Resource Centres (BRCs) under the National Mission on Natural Farming (NMNF). These centres are meant to support India’s transition to natural farming practices.

Objective and Purpose

• Support local production and availability of natural bio-inputs.
• Assist farmers unable to produce bio-inputs themselves.
• Disseminate knowledge and best practices for natural farming.

Financial Support

• ₹1 lakh assistance per centre in two tranches of ₹50,000.
• The support excludes infrastructure costs like shed construction or land rent.
• Entrepreneurs must arrange physical infrastructure themselves.

Eligibility Criteria

• The entrepreneur group/entity must be practicing natural farming or have experienced members.
• If no such members exist, state natural farming cells will help identify willing farmers.

Local Adaptability

• Inputs to be tailored as per local soil, land use patterns, and crop systems.
• Access to raw materials like livestock waste, biomass, etc. is essential.

Affordability

• BRCs must ensure inputs are affordable for small and marginal farmers.
• District-level monitoring to ensure price regulation and quality control.

Scheme Convergence

Encouragement to align with schemes like,

• 10,000 FPO Formation
• National Mission on Edible Oilseeds
• Other agri-linked welfare programmes