Empowering Youth and Women Entrepreneurs: New Maximum Grant Ceilings Announced

The 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗥𝘂𝗿𝗯𝗮𝗻 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁 (𝗜𝗥𝗗𝗖𝗥𝗣), under the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Land and Irrigation, is committed to driving climate-resilient growth, improving market access, and boosting value-chain development across Sri Lanka.

To move beyond basic support and achieve transformational business scaling, the National Steering Committee has updated the operational design for 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗻𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝟭.𝟯: 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗪𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻 𝗘𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗽𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁. Recognizing that low investment limits restrict small businesses to low-technology solutions, the IRDCRP has introduced a flexible, two-tier grant system designed to align with commercial realities and foster high-growth enterprises.

𝗘𝗻𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝗜𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸
Eligible youth and women entrepreneurs can now access structured financial assistance under two distinct funding windows, tailored to their business maturity and scaling needs:

𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝗙𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗺𝗲
• 𝗧𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲: Whether you are running a budding startup (𝗪𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗼𝘄 𝟬𝟭) or looking to aggressively scale an established business (𝗪𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗼𝘄 𝟬𝟮), the financial packages are optimized to match your commercial requirements.
• 𝗗𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵-𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵 & 𝗦𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀: By expanding the total investment ceilings, the project enables entrepreneurs to adopt modern, climate-smart technologies that can compete effectively in both domestic and international markets.
• 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗰 𝗔𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁: Backed by the International Development Association (IDA) credit facility, this mechanism enhances private sector agri-services through innovation and robust market integration.

𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘁𝘂𝘀
A total of 284 applications were received under Component 1.3 targeting Youth and Women Entrepreneurs. The applications are currently undergoing the initial desk screening process to assess eligibility and completeness prior to further evaluation.