UP Chief Minister, Yogi Adityanath, said on Friday that the state needs to double the growth in the field of agriculture to become the engine of the country’s largest economy.
The Chief Minister said it as he was addressing the Kisan Samman Diwas-2022 after inaugurating the exhibition of products of Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) in Lucknow.
He said Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, launched a number of programmes as soon as he came to power in 2014, in an effort to fulfill Chaudhary Saheb’s dream, and transform the lives of the “Annadata” farmers, and double their income.
The Chief Minister said that PM Modi’s leadership, the Farmers Crop Insurance Scheme, was launched for the first time and that not only was there an increase in the arrival of all other types of such programs, but he also ensured their proper implementation.
He said, “after 2014, Soil Health Cards were made available to protect the wellbeing of ‘Mother Earth,’ who provides for all of us and serves as the foundation for self-reliance and respect.”
He listed out the farmers’ welfare schemes in UP saying that in March 2017, his government waived off loans worth Rs 36,000 crore for 86 lakh farmers.
According to him, in the last 5.5 years, additional irrigation facilities were provided for 22 lakh hectares of land. Besides, over Rs 51,000 crores have already been transferred to the bank accounts of more than 2.60 crore farmers in UP.
For the first time in independent India, the farmer became a part of the country’s political agenda and welfare schemes were made available to him, said the Chief Minister.
“Crops including paddy, seeds, pulses and oilseeds were purchased from farmers in record quantities on MSP, and the price of their crops was sent directly to their accounts, cutting out the middlemen. Sugarcane price of Rs 1.84 lakh crore was also paid to the farmers,” he added.
The CM went on to say that no sugar mills were shut down during Corona; instead, 119 sugar mills were operating in the state till there was even a single stalk of sugarcane in the fields of the farmers.
Taking a dig at the erstwhile governments for closing the sugar mills, he said, “In the past, sugar mill owners operated according to their wishes. The government used to remain silent in front of them. In the previous governments, every sugar mill was sold; however, under our government, no sugar mills were sold, and new ones were instead set up.”
He said that many sugar mills were expanded. Gorakhpur Pipraich Mill was newly established, and Najibabad Sugar Mill was expanded.
The CM said, “Four agricultural universities are being run by the state government. Two agriculture universities are being run by the central government in the state. There are 75 districts within the state and 89 Krishi Vigyan Kendras are operating in these districts. The Krishi Vigyan Kendras, which were in dilapidated condition before 2017, today have various training programs going on for the farmers.”
Mentioning that the Prime Minister has given a new concept of farming in the form of National Natural Farming to the Annadata farmers of the country, he, “he experience of natural farming teaches a lot. This time the monsoon came late, but the Annadata farmers associated with natural farming had already made preparations and their productivity was good.”
He said that with the use of technology, such as drones to spray pesticides instead of doing it manually, farmers can save both time and cost. UP, he said, is a state with immense possibilities. I believe that all progressive farmers will connect with Krishi Vigyan Kendras and Agricultural Universities around them and link other farmers too.