In the regional agriculture conference in Lucknow, CM Yogi Adityanath underlined the agricultural progress of UP. ‘Lab to Land’, technology, irrigation and value addition have resulted in significant increase in production and income of farmers.
Lucknow. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath attended the inaugural program of the Regional Agriculture Conference (Northern Region) held in Lucknow on Friday. During this, he said that Uttar Pradesh is progressing rapidly in the field of agricultural production. This progress is the result of scientific techniques, agro-climatic zone based schemes and coordinated efforts of the Central and State Governments.
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UP Agriculture Growth: Direct benefit to farmers from ‘Lab to Land’
The Chief Minister said that now the concept of “Lab to Land” has been implemented on the ground. This means that the research done in the lab is now reaching the farmers directly. This is helping farmers to adopt new technology and better farming methods. He said that there has been a big improvement in agricultural growth rate, production per hectare has increased and multi-crop farming has expanded. Besides, now agriculture is also being linked to value addition.
Agro-Climatic Zone Farming: Policy necessary according to different zones
CM Yogi said that the weather and land of every area is different, hence policies should also be made accordingly. While sharing his experiences, he said that enthusiasm was seen among the farmers and scientists during the ‘Vikas Krishi Abhiyaan’. Expressing gratitude to Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, he said that due to his efforts “Lab to Land” was implemented across the country.
Kisan Yojana Awareness: Farmers themselves can change the future with the right information
The Chief Minister said that if farmers get correct information about government schemes, they themselves can give better results. He said that in 2017, only 69 Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) were active in the state, but now both their number and influence have increased. Now agriculture is getting a new direction through Centers of Excellence in all the 9 agro-climatic zones.
Value Addition in Agriculture: Need to link farming with industry
CM Yogi said that today it is important to link agriculture with value addition. This will increase the income of farmers and strengthen the economy. He told that earlier the contribution of agriculture was more than 40%, which has now reduced to about 20%. If there is better coordination between agriculture and manufacturing, the pace of development can become faster.
Technology in Farming: Technology increases production and quality
The Chief Minister said that technology is playing an important role in farming. Centers like the International Rice Institute in Varanasi are developing better seeds and technologies. He said that now in some areas the production of paddy has reached 100 quintals per hectare, which was earlier 50-60 quintals.
Natural Farming & Challenges: Need to deal with challenges like El Nino
CM Yogi said that wheat and mango crops have been affected due to El Nino. But despite this, there is a need to increase production by reducing costs, providing good seeds and promoting natural farming.
Progressive Farmers Example: Ramsharan Verma became inspiration
He gave the example of Padma award winning farmer Ram Saran Verma of Barabanki, who is producing more at less cost. He said that this shows that with the right technology any farmer can be successful.
UP Farming Environment: Picture changed due to irrigation, electricity and connectivity
The Chief Minister said that more than 85% of the land in Uttar Pradesh is irrigated. Farmers are getting 10-12 hours of electricity and there is better road connectivity. Now farmers are growing three crops a year instead of one and are earning profits of up to ₹1 lakh per acre from crops like maize.
Crop Production Data UP: Record increase in production
He said that currently in the state:
- Wheat: 425 lakh metric tons
- Rice: 211 lakh metric tons
- Potato: 245 lakh metric tons
- Oilseeds: 48 lakh metric tons
Apart from this, there has also been an increase in vegetables and other crops.
International Agriculture Centres: Potato Center to be built in Agra
The Chief Minister informed that International Potato Center is going to be established in Agra. This will increase food processing units in potato producing areas and farmers will get better prices.
Uttar Pradesh is becoming leader in agriculture sector
CM Yogi said that now farmers are getting all three – market, information and resources. This has brought about a big change in the agricultural sector and Uttar Pradesh has the potential to give a new direction to the agricultural economy of the country.