Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh agriculture minister Surya Pratap Shahi said here on Wednesday that the state government had given financial approval of ₹15.31 crore to increase coverage of Zaid crops in the state.
Talking to media persons, he said the state government had decided to increase coverage and production of ‘Sri Anna’ (millets) under the ‘International Year of Millets’ as per Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision to increase the income of farmers.
“We are making available quality Zaid crop seeds to farmers at 50% subsidy by putting up stalls in blocks across the state,” he said.
The distribution of subsidised seeds, he claimed, would increase the coverage of millets (coarse grains) by 2.5 lakh hectares and double the production. The current coverage of Zaid crops in UP is 9 lakh hectares.
Replying to a question, the minister said that the district administration was assessing the loss caused by unseasonal rain and hailstorms during the past week. He also said that emergency assistance was being provided to those affected.
“We have also directed insurance companies to make quick loss assessment to provide financial assistance to farmers within 72 hours,” Shahi said.
{{/usCountry}}“We have also directed insurance companies to make quick loss assessment to provide financial assistance to farmers within 72 hours,” Shahi said.
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