Farmers' Collectivization for Upscaling Production and Marketing Systems (FOCUS)
A ₹5,000-per-member grant paid into farmer producer groups, not individuals — with a further ₹5,000 per household under FOCUS+. About ₹120 crore has reached over 22,000 groups and 2.1 lakh rural households.
Run by: Meghalaya Basin Management Agency, Government of Meghalaya
- Group grant
- ₹5,000 per member (to the group account)
- FOCUS+ top-up
- ₹5,000 per household (direct to bank)
- Disbursed so far
- ~₹120 crore, 22,000+ groups
- Reach
- ~2.1 lakh households · 60%+ women
- Launched
- FOCUS Mar 2021 · FOCUS+ 28 Jul 2022
Overview
A hill farmer with a small plot has almost no bargaining power alone: too little volume to interest a buyer, and no way to fund storage or transport. FOCUS, launched in March 2021 and run by the Meghalaya Basin Management Agency (MBMA), fixes that by organising farmers into producer groups and putting the money into the group — ₹5,000 per member into the group's account — so a village can aggregate produce, add value and negotiate as one seller. It backs both farm and non-farm activity, including the state's mission-mode crops such as Lakadong turmeric, ginger, spices, milk and aromatic plants.
FOCUS+ was launched on 28 July 2022 by Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma at Resubelpara, North Garo Hills, as an expansion: a further ₹5,000 per household paid directly into the beneficiary's bank account, with a FOCUS+ card as ID. To get it, the individual still has to be registered under a producer group — it is an add-on to the group grant, not a replacement.
The scale is real rather than notional: close to ₹120 crore has been disbursed to more than 22,000 producer groups, reaching around 2.1 lakh rural households and about 2.45 lakh farmers, with over 60% of beneficiaries women. In the Garo Hills roughly 12,000 groups and about 1 lakh people have been supported; in the Khasi and Jaintia Hills, over 10,000 groups and more than 1.09 lakh families. A further ₹19 crore was rolled out statewide in June 2025, ₹8 crore of it for the Garo Hills.
What you get
The benefit as the state notifies it — nothing here is an estimate.
- A ₹5,000-per-member grant paid into the producer group's account for production and marketing.
- FOCUS+ adds a further ₹5,000 per household straight to the family's bank account, with a FOCUS+ card.
- Collective bargaining power — a group can aggregate enough volume to interest a real buyer.
- Support for value addition and marketing systems, and for mission-mode crops like Lakadong turmeric, ginger and spices — not only for growing the crop.
- Reaches smallholders through the group, so a tiny individual plot is not a barrier to entry; over 60% of beneficiaries are women.
Who is eligible
State schemes usually state their criteria as prose rather than a checklist. This is that prose, unpacked — the department’s verification is what decides.
You qualify if
- Farming household in Meghalaya
- Member of a registered farmer producer group under the scheme
- Group engaged in an eligible farm or non-farm production/marketing activity
- Bank account for the group to receive its grant; an Aadhaar-seeded personal account and a FOCUS+ card for the household top-up
Not covered
- Individual applicants outside a producer group — the grant is paid to the group
- Activities outside the scheme’s production and marketing scope
Documents you need
Have these ready before you start — most rejections are a missing paper, not a missing right.
- Aadhaar card
- Producer group membership and registration
- Land record or evidence of cultivation
- Group bank account details
How to apply
Fewer steps than a central scheme, and usually one office rather than a portal.
- 1
Join or form a producer group
FOCUS funds groups, not individuals. Joining the village producer group is the way in for a smallholder.
- 2
Plan the activity with MBMA support
The group works out its production and marketing plan with the Meghalaya Basin Management Agency and its field structures.
- 3
Receive and use the grant
The grant is disbursed to the group’s account for the approved production and marketing activity.
If something goes wrong
Missing from the list, or payment stuck — here is the channel the department itself publishes for it.
- A group not receiving its grant, or a FOCUS+ card or household payment held up, should first be raised with the MBMA block/district project team and the C&RD block office that supports your producer group.
- If it is not resolved, lodge it on Meghalaya's Public Grievance Redressal and Monitoring System (MegPGRAMS) at megpgrams.gov.in, which issues a tracking number by SMS.
Frequently asked questions
Can I apply on my own?
No. FOCUS pays a ₹5,000-per-member grant to farmer producer groups, not to individuals — joining or forming a registered group is the route in. The FOCUS+ ₹5,000 household payment also requires you to be registered under a producer group.
What is the difference between FOCUS and FOCUS+?
FOCUS pays ₹5,000 per member into the producer group's account for a shared activity. FOCUS+, launched on 28 July 2022, pays an additional ₹5,000 directly into each member household's own bank account, with a FOCUS+ identity card. FOCUS+ is on top of the group grant.
What can the grant be used for?
Farm and non-farm value-chain activities — piggery, poultry, horticulture — and the state's mission-mode crops such as Lakadong turmeric, ginger, spices, milk and aromatic plants, covering production through to marketing.
Who runs FOCUS?
The Meghalaya Basin Management Agency (MBMA), which took over the state's basin-development and rural-livelihoods work from the earlier IBDLP programme.
How much has actually been paid out?
Close to ₹120 crore to more than 22,000 producer groups, reaching around 2.1 lakh rural households and about 2.45 lakh farmers, with over 60% women. A further ₹19 crore was released statewide in June 2025.
When was FOCUS launched?
FOCUS started in March 2021. FOCUS+ was added on 28 July 2022 at an event in Resubelpara, North Garo Hills.
Facts checked against megbma.gov.in on 20 October 2026. editorial policy.