Why the 2025 RDI Scheme Could Be a Game Changer for India?

India’s agricultural sector feeds more than 1.4 billion people annually, yet it still operates under severe constraints. Farm yields remain 30–50% lower than global benchmarks, nearly 40% of fruits and veggies are lost before they reach people, and agriculture contributes to 16–20% of our greenhouse gas emissions. 

The probable root of the problem? India invests less than 0.6–0.7% of its GDP on Research and Development (R&D), which is nowhere near when compared to our global counterparts, like 3.5% in the U.S. and 5.4% in Israel.

In a bold step to change this equation, the government launched the Research, Development & Innovation (RDI) scheme, approved by the Union Cabinet on July 1, 2025. This is managed via the RDI Cell under the Department of Science & Technology (DST). By offering 50-year, interest-free capital, the scheme breaks free from short-term funding cycles and opens the door to bold, high-risk R&D projects that may take decades to yield results. 

Let’s explore how this RDI scheme can rewire the agritech ecosystem. What does real impact look like? And how must stakeholders evolve to seize it?

RDI Scheme -Why It Matters for Agritech

1. Long-Term Patient Funding

The scheme offers a rare 50-year, interest-free loan across sectors. For the agritech sector, where new seeds or soil treatments and farming technologies take years to test across different seasons and regions, this gives researchers the time to patiently experiment, learn, and improve their studies without the stress of quick returns, and the cycle of innovation keeps going on.

2. “Agriculture” on par with other Tech

Although the scheme is open to multiple sectors, it highlights agritech, biotech, renewable energy, robotics, and digital infrastructure. This makes sure that agriculture, which so often gets neglected in technology funding, is seen as a “frontier technology” on par with energy or AI and not just treated as a rural welfare domain.

3.A Flexible Financial Architecture

Money flows through a dedicated RDI corpus under the DST, managed by expert fund managers. This setup may sound bureaucratic, but it actually makes funding more flexible, allowing support to adapt to the needs of different agritech projects instead of a one-size-fits-all approach.

The Benefits for the Agritech Sector 

1.Precision Agriculture at Scale
Imagine a farmer using a drone that scans crops, tells them exactly where to add water, and even predicts pest outbreaks before they occur? This could be a reality for most farms across India soon. With RDI support, drones, soil sensor, and even AI-powered advisory platforms can become mainstream. With this, the farmers could save approximately 30% of water, use 20% less fertilizer, and grow 15–25% more food. 

2.Resilient Seed and Crop Genetics
Every year, Indian farmers lose crores of rupees due to droughts, floods, or even pest attacks. The RDI initiatives could fast-track research into climate-resilient seeds (using CRISPR, molecular breeding, and hybrid seeds) that can withstand tough weather. For a farmer, it could mean less anxiety about losing their harvest and more stability in their income.

3. Greener Agrochemicals and Bio-Inputs
One of the most transformative opportunities lies in biofertilizers, biopesticides, and green crop-protection molecules. These not only reduce ecological damage but also align India’s agriculture with the global demand for sustainable, low-residue food. This could also open gates to quality exports with sustainability as the main front.

4. Smarter Supply Chains, Less Waste
Did you know India loses nearly ₹1,50,000 crores worth of food every year to poor storage and logistics? With RDI funding, AI-driven supply chains, cold storage systems, and biodegradable packaging can cut down these losses. For farmers, that means more money in hand. For consumers, it means more affordable and reliable food supplies.

5.Digital Platforms and Farmer Empowerment
Middlemen often dictate prices, leaving farmers with little say. But blockchain-based traceability, farm-to-market apps, and fintech tools can flip the equation. With RDI, farmers could sell directly, see real-time market rates, and even access credit at fair rate, putting bargaining power where it belongs, in the farmer’s hands.

6. Climate-Smart and Carbon-Negative Agriculture
What if farming didn’t just feed us but also helped heal the planet? With RDI support, India can lead in regenerative practices, carbon-sequestering crops, and carbon-credit markets. Global carbon farming is projected to hit $100 billion by 2030, and Indian farmers could capture a large slice of that pie, earning money not just from crops, but from saving the environment.

7. Global Competitiveness and IP Creation
RDI isn’t just about helping Indian farmers, it’s about making India a hub for affordable agritech exports. Patents and new IP in seeds, bio-inputs, and digital platforms can position India as the go-to supplier for Africa, Southeast Asia, and Latin America. This aligns with Atmanirbhar Bharat, while boosting India’s credibility as a global leader in sustainable farming solutions. 

Ecosystem-Wide Benefits in a Nutshell

• For Exports: Homegrown technologies ready to serve emerging markets in Africa, Southeast Asia, and beyond, positioning India as a global agritech player.
• For Policymakers: Lower subsidy burdens and better food security through efficient and climate-smart farming practices.
• For Academia: Stronger industry linkages that allow applied research to turn into real-world agricultural solutions.
• For Startups: Patient, long-term funding to scale pilots, experiment with new solutions, and collaborate with labs and industry for faster market impact.
• For Farming Community: Farmers get tools, knowledge and technologies to increase productivity, save money and adapt to changing climate conditions.

The RDI scheme of 2025 is a bold investment in India’s future. By treating agritech as a frontier technology, providing long-term, 50-year interest-free funding, and encouraging the creation of homegrown patents and innovations, the government is building the foundation for India to become a global leader in agricultural technology.

How Scimplify is Shaping Agritech Innovation

At Scimplify, we view the RDI scheme as more than a funding policy; it’s a platform to accelerate the chemistry-led transformation of agriculture in India. As a full-stack specialty chemicals platform, Scimplify offers 3000+ products across agrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, flavors & fragrances, and industrial chemicals. Our in-house R&D team of 40+ scientists, supported by a network of 200+ manufacturing partners, enables us to bring advanced ideas from the lab to real-world impact.

At the Scimplify Center for Innovation (SCI) in Hyderabad, we are already working on:

• Sustainable agrochemical formulations that reduce environmental impact while keeping or improving yields.
• Eco-friendly bio-based crop inputs that restore soil health and improve farmer profitability.
• Fast lab-to-farm solutions through partnerships with global collaborators.

In essence, the RDI scheme and Scimplify’s capabilities complement each other perfectly. The RDI policy provides the time, support, and flexibility for bold experimentation, while Scimplify brings the science, infrastructure, and expertise to make it happen. 

Collaborate with us at info@scimplify.com to discover how Scimplify can help you fast-track your agritech innovations. By combining cutting-edge science, sustainable solutions, and scalable processes, we turn your ideas into real-world success quickly, confidently, and with reduced risk.