Kharif Certified Seed & Dhaincha Minikit Subsidy (Uttar Pradesh)
Certified paddy, pulse and green-manure dhaincha seed at 50% off, with free minikits of millets and pulses, before Kharif sowing every year.
Run by: Agriculture Department, Government of Uttar Pradesh
- Certified seed (dhaincha, paddy, pulses)
- 50% subsidy
- Kharif 2026 minikits
- ~4 lakh, at 50% subsidy
- Selection
- First-come or e-lottery, by block
- Apply
- Portal, before Kharif sowing
Overview
Every year, ahead of Kharif sowing, the UP Agriculture Department — under Agriculture Minister Surya Pratap Shahi — runs a two-part seed push. Certified seed of paddy, arhar, moong, urad and the green-manure crop dhaincha is sold at 50% subsidy through the state seed channel; and low-cost minikits are handed out at a subsidised rate to nudge farmers toward green manuring and mixed cropping. Dhaincha itself is not a grain crop — it is sown thick ahead of paddy transplanting and ploughed back into the soil at flowering, adding nitrogen and organic matter so the paddy crop that follows needs less urea.
For Kharif 2026 the department planned to distribute about 45,000 quintals of dhaincha seed statewide, with roughly 20,000 quintals of it made up into about 4 lakh minikits given at 50% subsidy — each 2026 kit carrying dhaincha along with maize, urad, guar, okra, cowpea and jowar seed. Separately, the certified-seed target for the season was about 1,99,910 quintals across all Kharif crops, most of it — around 1,89,990 quintals — moved through the Agriculture Department itself. Treat these as season figures reported in state media: the quintals sanctioned and the exact kit contents change every year.
Applications go through the agriculture.up.gov.in seed-booking portal in the notified window before sowing. Where a block's demand is within the seed allotted, distribution is often simply first-come-first-served; where it runs over, selection is by a computerised e-lottery and selected farmers get an SMS on their registered mobile. Seed is then collected from the nearest Rajkiya Krishi Beej Bhandar (state seed store) after fingerprint verification. Because dates, quantities and which crops get the 50% rate shift from year to year, check the portal announcement at the start of each season rather than relying on last year's numbers.
What you get
The benefit as the state notifies it — nothing here is an estimate.
- 50% subsidy on certified dhaincha seed — sow it before paddy to fix nitrogen in the soil and cut fertiliser cost.
- 50% subsidy on certified seed of paddy, arhar, moong and urad through the same booking portal.
- Low-cost minikits (dhaincha with maize, urad, guar, okra, cowpea and jowar for Kharif 2026) at a 50% subsidised rate to push green manuring and mixed cropping.
- Kit contents are reset each season, so a bad year for one crop can be balanced by another in the same packet.
- Seed is collected at the nearest state seed store with fingerprint verification, so there is no travel to a district office.
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
- Farmer cultivating land in Uttar Pradesh for the Kharif season
- Registered on the agriculture.up.gov.in seed-booking portal with Aadhaar and land record (khatauni) details
- Application submitted within the notified booking window before sowing
- Where a block is oversubscribed, selected in that batch's e-lottery draw
Not covered
- Applications submitted after the season's booking window has closed
- Farmers not selected in an oversubscribed block's e-lottery — re-apply in the next window or season
- Seed collection attempted with someone else's biometric or registration details
Documents you need
Have these ready before you start — most rejections are a missing paper, not a missing right.
- Aadhaar card
- Khatauni / land record
- Registered mobile number for OTP and SMS selection alerts
- Bank account details
How to apply
Fewer steps than a central scheme, and usually one office rather than a portal.
- 1
Apply on the seed-booking portal
Register on agriculture.up.gov.in during the notified Kharif window and book dhaincha, certified seed, or a millet/pulse minikit.
- 2
Wait for the e-lottery result
Where demand is high, selection runs through a computerised e-lottery; an SMS on the registered mobile confirms whether seed has been allotted.
- 3
Collect seed at the state seed store
Selected farmers collect seed at their block's nearest Rajkiya Krishi Beej Bhandar after fingerprint verification, paying the 50% farmer share for subsidised seed and the subsidised rate for a minikit.
If something goes wrong
Missing from the list, or payment stuck — here is the channel the department itself publishes for it.
- For a booking that is not honoured, an e-lottery selection that never turns into seed, or a seed store that turns you away despite an SMS, raise it with the block Agriculture office (the Rajkiya Krishi Beej Bhandar in-charge) and then the District Agriculture Officer / Deputy Director (Agriculture). The department helpline 0522-2317003 is the first call. Keep your booking number and the selection SMS.
- Beyond the department, use Uttar Pradesh's Jansunwai (IGRS) — the portal at jansunwai.up.nic.in or the Jansunwai-Samadhan app — or the CM Helpline on 1076 (toll-free, 24×7). Both feed the same system run by the Lok Shikayat Vibhag at the CM Office; note the complaint number to track and reopen it.
Frequently asked questions
Is dhaincha a crop I harvest and sell, or only for green manure?
Only for green manure — it is sown thick ahead of paddy and ploughed into the soil at flowering to add nitrogen and organic matter; it is not harvested for grain.
What is in a minikit?
For Kharif 2026 each kit carried dhaincha along with maize, urad, guar, okra, cowpea and jowar seed. The mix is set fresh every season, so read that year's notice for the exact contents.
Are the minikits free?
For Kharif 2026 they were given at 50% subsidy, not free — you pay half. In some years the department has also run separate free crop minikits under central programmes, so check the season's announcement.
Is it first-come-first-served or a lottery?
Both, depending on your block. If applications stay within the seed allotted to the block, distribution is usually first-come-first-served; if they exceed it, a computerised e-lottery picks beneficiaries and you get an SMS.
What happens if I am not selected in the e-lottery?
Apply again in the next booking window or the next Kharif season; allotment depends on how much seed is available for your block against how many farmers apply.
How much subsidy is there on a bag of paddy seed?
Half the price, subject to the per-quintal ceiling the department notifies for each crop that season. Confirm the exact ceiling for your crop on the portal or at the seed store.
Where do I collect the seed?
At your block's nearest Rajkiya Krishi Beej Bhandar (state seed store) after fingerprint verification — not a district office.
Facts checked against agriculture.up.gov.in on 8 September 2026. editorial policy.