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Kisan Samman Diwas: From MSP to seed park, CM outlines UP’s farm policy roadmap
On Kisan Samman Diwas, UP CM Yogi Adityanath honored former PM Charan Singh, highlighting farmer welfare initiatives and increased sugarcane payments.
Paying tribute to former PM Chaudhary Charan Singh (1902-1987) on his 123rd birth anniversary observed as Kisan Samman Diwas, UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday hailed him as a true champion of farmers who dedicated his entire life to the welfare and prosperity of villages, the poor, the deprived and farmers.
Yogi said in the last eight years, around ₹75,000 crore more has been transferred to farmers’ accounts as sugarcane payments than what was paid between 1996 and 2017 in the state. Recently, sugarcane prices were increased, with early variety rates fixed at ₹400 per quintal for the 2025–26 crushing season.
He said Uttar Pradesh is steadily moving towards farmer prosperity, with farmers adopting new technology and quality seeds to achieve higher output at lower costs. The CM said with the Centre’ support, 20 new Krishi Vigyan Kendras have been established in the past eight years, taking the total in Uttar Pradesh to 89—the highest across nine climatic zones in any state. Centres of excellence were also being developed, he added.
On the occasion of Kisan Samman Diwas, Yogi also felicitated farmers, scientists, farmer producer organisations (FPOs) and others besides inaugurating the plot allotment process of the Chaudhary Charan Singh Seed Park at Atari, Lucknow.
Listing out farmer-centric initiatives, Yogi said loans of farmers connected to 1.6 million private tubewells had been waived and the government paid ₹3,600 crore annually to the power corporation.
He said during his tenure as UP CM, Charan Singh abolished zamindari, enacted the Land Reforms Act, passed the Mandi Act to end exploitation by middlemen, abolished the patwari system, provided land revenue exemptions for small and marginal farmers up to three and a half acres, Yogi said at an event held on Vidhan Bhavan premises where he also offered floral tribute to the statue of the late PM.
The CM said farmers in UP have progressed through their hard work. “When Narendra Modi took charge of the country in 2014, farmers became part of the government’s agenda for the first time. Through soil health cards, PM Modi in 2014 made people aware of the health of Mother Earth,” he added.
“Farmers were connected with the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, followed by initiatives such as the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana, PM Kisan Samman Nidhi, MSP assurance, and improved facilities for farmers from seed to market,” Yogi said.
“The agricultural loan waiver programme was implemented for small and marginal farmers. Earlier, farmers were not part of government schemes, but today they receive benefits from every scheme. Middlemen no longer decide crop prices,” he added.
“If farmers get good prices in the market, that is fine; otherwise, the government purchases their produce. Production of crops such as paddy, wheat, gram, mustard, bajra and maize has increased manifold in Uttar Pradesh, while costs have come down forming the foundation of farmer prosperity,” the CM said.
Yogi also made a mention of Padma Shri Ram Saran Verma, who has grown potatoes underground and tomatoes above ground, while training farmers in Daulatpur village in Barabanki district. He said sugarcane farmers in Shahjahanpur, Lakhimpur Kheri and Bahraich districts have set a new record by producing 1,000 quintals per hectare. He directed the agriculture and sugarcane departments to take farmers there to learn the technology.
Farmers, FPOs feted
Chief minister Yogi Adityanath also handed over tractor keys to five farmers and flagged off 25 tractors. He presented tractor keys to Praveshika from Jalaun, Udham Singh from Shahjahanpur, Mukesh from Fatehpur, Shripal from Muzaffarnagar, and Jamaif Khan from Lakhimpur Kheri.
He honoured Kamal Nath for rice production; Bijendra Kumar Singh for wheat production; Ashish Tiwari for chickpea (Chana) production; Ramkishun for pea production; Hiralal for mustard production; Randhir Singh pigeon pea (Arhar) production and Amresh Kumar for sorghum (Jwar) production. All of them were presented ₹1 lakh, a certificate and a shawl each, while Sandhya Singh was honoured with Vishisht Mahila Kisan Award and presented ₹75,000, a shawl and a certificate.
FPO - Vikas Kumar Singh - Jaya Seeds Company Limited, Varanasi; Kuldeep Mishra (Gonda) and Vikas Kumar Singh for horticultural farming were also feted and presented ₹1 lakh, a certificate and a shawl each.
