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‘Agri growth rate must be doubled to make UP largest economy’: CM Yogi
The chief minister said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a number of programmes as soon as he came into power in 2014 in an effort to fulfil Chaudhary Saheb’s dream and transform the lives of “annadata” farmers and double their income
Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday said the current rate of agricultural growth in Uttar Pradesh must be doubled if the state was to become the country’s largest economy.
The CM was speaking at the ‘Kisan Samman Diwas-2022’ to mark the birth anniversary of the late farmer leader and former Prime Minister Chaudhary Charan Singh (1902-1987) in the state capital Lucknow.
“UP has the potential to double its agricultural growth and farmer producer organisations (FPOs) and technology can play a significant role in this,” he said.
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On the occasion, Yogi inaugurated the exhibition of products of FPOs in Lucknow in addition to awarding and honouring farmers/agri-entrepreneurs and agricultural scientists.
Paying tribute to the former PM for his contribution to the welfare of farmers, the Yogi said, “Chaudhary Saheb stated after independence that focus was needed to be on agriculture and farming within the country if India was to emerge as a big global power. This vision of his is still a guiding light for farmers’ welfare in India.”
The chief minister said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a number of programmes as soon as he came into power in 2014 in an effort to fulfil Chaudhary Saheb’s dream and transform the lives of “annadata” farmers and double their income. “The objective of these initiatives was to reduce costs and increase productivity,” he added.
The CM further said under 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 programmes but he also ensured their proper implementation.
“After 2014, soil health cards were made available to protect the wellbeing of ‘mother earth’ which provides for all of us and serves as the foundation for self-reliance and respect,” he added.
Listing out farmers’ welfare schemes in the state, the CM said, “In March 2017 our governments waived loans worth ₹36,000 crore of 86 lakh farmers. In the last 5 and 1/2 years, additional irrigation facilities were provided for 22 lakh hectares of land. Besides, over ₹51,000 crore has already been transferred to the bank accounts of more than 2.60 crore farmers in UP.”
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For the first time in independent India, farmers became a part of the country’s political agenda and welfare schemes were made available to them, Yogi said, adding that over the past eight years, people had seen how technology could be applied to agriculture.
“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 ₹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 the pandemic. Instead, 119 sugar mills kept operating in the state till there was even a single stack of sugarcane in the fields of the farmers, he said.
Criticising the previous governments for closing the sugar mills, the CM 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 set up instead.”
Stating that Uttar Pradesh has a large number of small and marginal farmers, Yogi said, “Farmers with small holdings are not able to adopt the technology. That’s the reason the role of FPOs will be important.”
Earlier, the CM offered floral tribute to former PM Chaudhary Charan Singh on his birth anniversary on Vidhan Bhawan premises and flagged off tractors to be given to the FPOs.
On the occasion, deputy chief minister Brajesh Pathak, agriculture minister Surya Pratap Singh, Jal Shakti minister Swatantra Dev Singh, forest minister Arun Kumar Saxena, minister of state (independent charge) Dinesh Pratap Singh and minister of state for agriculture Baldev Singh Aulakh among others were present.
