Revised Guidelines of Operation Greens (TOP to TOTAL)

The Ministry of Food Processing Industries has notified the Revised Guidelines of Operation Greens (TOP to TOTAL) vide a notification dated 17^th December 2020. As a part of the scheme, the Government provides a 50% subsidy for transportation and storage of eligible crops. With this notification, the MoFPI announced the revised procedure to claim the subsidy and the duration of the Operation Greens (TOP to TOTAL) is extended for six months i.e., till 31.03.2021. The Present article briefs Revised Guidelines of Operation Greens (TOP to TOTAL).

Operation Greens (TOP to TOTAL)

The Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) had introduced the Operation Green scheme in the Union Budget of 2018-2019 for integrated growth and development of Tomatoes, Onions, and Potatoes (TOP) value chain. MoFPI vides its gazette notification dated 7th July 2020 has extended the Operation Greens Scheme to include all fruits and vegetables (TOTAL) beyond tomato, onions, and potatoes (TOP) announced earlier. Know more about Operation Greens (TOP to TOTAL)

Synopsis of Revised Guidelines

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic and consequent lockdown, farmers are not being able to sell their produce in the markets. Considering the situation, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced an extension on the Operation Greens scheme as part of the Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan. The gist of the MoFPI’s notification is as follows:

As part of the Scheme, 50% subsidy will be granted for transportation of crops from surplus production to deficient markets and storage, including cold storages
The duration of the Operation Greens (TOP to TOTAL) is extended till 31.03.2021 from the earlier pilot period (six months)

The objective of Operation Greens (TOP to TOTAL)

The objective of revised Operation Greens (TOP to TOTAL) scheme is to protect the growers of fruits and vegetables from making distress sale and to reduce the post-harvest losses.

Eligible Crops under Operation Greens

As per the revised guidelines of Operation Greens (TOP to TOTAL) scheme, following fruits and vegetables are eligible under the Scheme: Eligible Fruits: Mango, Banana, Sweet Potato, Guava, Kiwi, Litchi, Papaya, Citrus, Pineapple, Pomegranate, Jackfruit, Apple, Almond, Aonla, Chikoo Passion fruit, Pear EligibleVegetables: French beans, Bitter Gourd, Brinjal, Capsicum, Carrot, Cauliflower, Chillies (Green), Okra, Onion, Potato, Tomato, Cucumber, Peas, Garlic, Onion, Potato, Tomato, Large Cardamom, Pumpkin, Ginger, Cabbage, Squash and Turmeric

Eligible entities for Operation Greens

As per the revised guidelines, the entities engaged in processing/ marketing of fruits and vegetables are eligible under the Operation Greens (TOP to TOTAL) Scheme:

Food Processors
Farmer Producer Organisations (FPO)
Farmer producer company (FPC)
Co-operative Societies
Individual farmers/Group of Farmers
Licensed Commission Agent
Exporters
State Marketing/Co-operative Federation
Retailers

Pattern of Assistance

As per the revised guidelines, the Ministry of Food Processing industry will provide subsidy at a rate of 50 % of the cost of the following two components.

Transportation of eligible crops from surplus production cluster to consumption centre
The hiring of appropriate storage facilities for eligible crops, it will be available for a maximum period of 3 months

Note: Any incidental expenses or taxes, such as GST and other taxes levied at State/Central level will not be considered for subsidy.

Eligible Production Cluster

The list of districts for each crop mentioned in Serial No. 7.5 of Horticulture Statistics at Glance 2018 published by Ministry of Agriculture will be taken as eligible production clusters subject to meeting the criterion of essential conditions

Essential conditions to Avail Subsidy

The eligible condition to avail the subsidy under the Operation Greens Scheme is explained below

Price of the Commodity

Price in the notified production clusters should meet any one of the following conditions:

Price fall below preceding 3 years’ average market price at the time of harvest
The price fall more than 15% compared to last year market price at the time of harvest
The price fall less than the benchmark price for procurement, if any, fixed by the State or Central Government for a specified period;

Condition for Procurement

To get the benefit under the Operation Greens (TOP to TOTAL), the vegetable/fruits need to be directly procured from farmers; FPO/FPC, Co-operative Society or Licensed Commission Agent and payment need to be made only through banking channel.

Quantity for Procurement

Minimum quantity to be procured and transported/stored per applicant will be as under:

Sl.No	Entity	Quantity Details
1	Individual farmers	50MT
2	FPO/FPC, Co-operative, Group of Farmers	100 MT
3	Food Processor, Exporter, Licensed Commission Agent	500 MT
4	Retailers, State Marketing/Co-operative Federation	1,000 MT

Note: For calculation of quantity, a combination of eligible fruits and vegetables will also be considered.

Eligible Criterion for Transportation

The minimum distance from notified surplus production clusters to consumption centre, processing plant, retail outlet, or ports, airport, Inland Container Depots (ICD) or Container freight station (CFS) in India:

Sl.No	Entity	Minimum Distance
1	Food Processor, FPO/FPC, Co-operative, Individual farmers, Group of Farmers, Exporter, Licensed Commission Agent	100 Km
2	Retailers, State Marketing or Co-operative Federation	250 Km

Other Conditions

Storage licensed warehouse or cold storage may be notified at the production cluster, consumption centres or any place en-route consumption centre
Payment for transportation and storage charges should be made only through the banking channel to avail of the benefit under the scheme.
Maximum admissible subsidy amount per applicant will be Rs.1 crore during the entire period of the same
No application should be made after completion of three months from the date of the Transport or Storage invoice

Documents Required for Subsidy Claim

The applicant needs to submit the following documents to avail the subsidy under the scheme Operation Greens (TOP to TOTAL) scheme:

Purchase Invoice for eligible crops from the notified production cluster
Farmer’s detail from who crop has been procured
Sale/Transfer Invoice for the eligible crop to consumption centre, plant, port or retail outlet
Transport Invoice and Receipt, and other relevant documents showing payment made for the transportation of crops such as Weighbridge receipts, Toll plaza receipt, Geo-tag photographs (with truck number date and time)
Storage Invoice and Receipt showing payment made for the storage of the crop such as Weighbridge receipts, Geo-tag photographs (with truck number, date and time), Rent/Lease Agreement
Copy of bank statement showing payment made to the farmers, transport charge and/or storage charge;
Undertaking by the applicant

Submission of Claim for Subsidy

Eligible entities, who comply with the above mentioned eligible criteria, need to access the official webpage of SAMPADA-MoFPI.

Revised Guidelines of Operation Greens (TOP to TOTAL) - SAMPADA From the home page click on the Atamnirbhar Bharat Package option and select the OPGS subsidy.

Revised Guidelines of Operation Greens (TOP to TOTAL) - SAMPADA2 The link will redirect to the subsidy claim form of the Operation Greens (TOP to TOTAL) scheme.

Revised Guidelines of Operation Greens (TOP to TOTAL) - Claim Form Note: The applicant should register on the SAMPADA MoFPI portal before carrying out transportation or storage of fruits and vegetables.

Revised Guidelines of Operation Greens (TOP to TOTAL) - SAMPADA2 The applicant needs to fill the requisite information in the claim form and upload the self-certified supporting documents on the portal. After verifying the details, the MoFPI will provide a subsidy for transportation or storage of eligible crops.