Food Irradiation Unit Subsidy Under PMKSY: Key Updates for 2026

NAGPUR, India - Aug. 11, 2026 - PRLog -- India's food-processing sector is witnessing growing interest in food irradiation infrastructure as businesses explore technologies for improving food safety, extending shelf life and reducing post-harvest losses. The Food Irradiation Unit Subsidy under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan SAMPADA Yojana (PMKSY) provides financial assistance for eligible multiproduct food irradiation projects.

The assistance is available under the Integrated Cold Chain & Value Addition Infrastructure component of PMKSY. The initiative supports food irradiation facilities along with eligible cold-chain and value-addition infrastructure. Projects may include standalone or integrated multiproduct food irradiation units, subject to the applicable scheme conditions and evaluation process.

Under the applicable provisions, financial assistance is available at 35% of eligible project cost in general areas, subject to a maximum of ₹10 crore per project. For difficult areas and specified categories including SC/ST projects, FPOs and SHGs, assistance can be provided at 50% of eligible project cost, subject to the same maximum ceiling.

Eligible project costs may include Plant & Machinery and Technical Civil Works associated with the approved project. Depending on the project configuration, eligible infrastructure can include irradiation equipment, sorting and grading systems, packing facilities, staging cold rooms, pre-cooling systems, cold storage, controlled-atmosphere storage, frozen storage, packaging infrastructure and other qualifying facilities.

Eligible applicants can include FPOs, FPCs, SHGs, NGOs, PSUs, firms, companies and other organisations interested in establishing qualifying food irradiation and related infrastructure. MSME applicants may receive priority during the assessment process. Applicants must also meet the prescribed equity contribution and term-loan requirements based on the project category and location.

A significant 2026 update relates to the land requirement. Following the corrigendum issued on 14 July 2026, the minimum land requirement for setting up either a standalone or integrated multiproduct food irradiation unit (https://finraja.com/food-irradiation-unit-subsidy/) is 1 acre. The subsequent clarification also indicates that the minimum requirement applies to proposals in difficult areas.

Eligibility alone does not guarantee approval of financial assistance. Proposals are evaluated through the prescribed assessment process and must achieve the applicable minimum evaluation score. The general minimum threshold is 60%, while the minimum threshold for SC/ST applicants is 45%.

Businesses considering a food irradiation project should assess eligible project costs, land requirements, funding structure, technical conditions and evaluation criteria before finalising their investment and subsidy proposal.

About Finraja Consultancy
Finraja Consultancy Private Limited is an India-based financial and business consultancy providing guidance on government subsidies, industrial incentives, project finance, MSME advisory, DPR preparation, subsidy mapping and financial assessment for eligible business projects.

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