At the Agricultural Science Congress 2026 in Lucknow, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath laid out the vision of taking agriculture from production to prosperity. Emphasis was laid on increasing farmers’ income and self-reliant agriculture through technology, MSP, digital platforms and irrigation reforms.
Lucknow. Inaugurating the Sixth Uttar Pradesh Agricultural Science Congress-2026 held in Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath presented a comprehensive and visionary vision for the overall development of the agriculture sector. He said that now the time has come that agriculture should not be limited to just production but should be taken from production to productivity, from productivity to profitability and ultimately to prosperity. He emphasized that the dream of a developed and self-reliant India will be fulfilled only when the farmers are prosperous and agriculture becomes profitable.
Uttar Pradesh’s best performance with limited resources
The Chief Minister said that in this three-day event, there will be in-depth discussions on various aspects of agriculture and ground experiences and innovations will be shared. He said Uttar Pradesh is home to 16-17% of the country’s population, while only 11% of agricultural land is available, yet the state contributes about 21% of the country’s total food grain production. This is the result of the hard work of farmers and effective policies of the government. The agricultural growth rate of the state has increased from 8% to about 18%.
Agriculture: Strong base of India’s economic power
The Chief Minister said that agriculture has been the basis of India’s historical economic strength. At one time the country’s share in the global economy was 44-45%, mainly due to its strong agricultural system. He told that earlier the farmer was involved in processing and construction work along with production, but with time this system became weak and the farmer remained only a raw material producer.
Rapidly changing nature of agriculture due to modern technology
The Chief Minister said that Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), drones and satellite technology are giving new direction to agriculture. Through these technologies, farmers can accurately analyze soil quality, weather and crop conditions. He described the use of biotechnology and natural farming as long-term solutions to combat climate change, which reduce costs and improve production.
Direct connection of farmers to the market through digital platform
Emphasizing the role of digital agriculture platform, the Chief Minister said that now farmers are getting information about market, weather and price directly. Farmers are getting better prices due to ‘One Nation-One Mandi’ and reduction in market fees. He talked about adopting the concept of ‘Land is Lab’ instead of ‘Lab to Land’, in which farms will become laboratories.
Improvement in sugarcane sector and timely payment to farmers
The Chief Minister said that earlier sugarcane farmers had to wait a long time for payment, but now 107 out of 122 mills are making payment in 6-7 days. The state is contributing about 55% of the total sugarcane production of the country. More than ₹3.15 lakh crore has been paid through DBT and Uttar Pradesh is also leading in the country in ethanol production.
Improvement in irrigation and agricultural infrastructure
85-86% land in the state is irrigated and tube well and solar panel based irrigation is being promoted. Through the Saryu Canal National Project, 14 lakh hectares of land has been connected with irrigation facility, which has provided huge benefits to the farmers.
Security and relief schemes for farmers
The Chief Minister said that quick relief arrangements have been made to deal with natural disasters. There is a provision of assistance within 24 hours under ‘Chief Minister Farmer Accident Insurance Scheme’. The damage caused by incidents like lightning is being reduced through early warning system.
Big change in agriculture sector after 2017
The Chief Minister said that before 2017, the agriculture sector was surrounded by chaos and distrust. Procurement at MSP was weak and farmers did not get fair prices. After 2017, procurement at MSP and DBT payment was ensured through transparent and technology-based policies, which increased the confidence of farmers.
Strong steps towards self-reliant agriculture
The Chief Minister said that global circumstances have made it clear that self-reliance in agriculture and food security is extremely important. By strengthening production, processing and distribution at the local level, not only the income of farmers can be increased, but the economic stability of the country can also be ensured.
Presence of prominent personalities in the program
On this occasion, Agriculture Minister Surya Pratap Shahi, Minister of State Baldev Singh Aulakh, Cow Service Commission Chairman Shyam Bihari Gupta, Principal Secretary (Agriculture) Ravindra Kumar and many senior officials and agricultural experts were present.