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U.P. cabinet nod to ₹4K cr project to enhance agri productivity
Backed by the World Bank funding, the $500 million (around ₹4,000 crore) ambitious project aims to enhance the productivity and economic viability of agriculture in the targeted 28 backward districts
The Uttar Pradesh cabinet in its meeting chaired by chief minister Yogi Adityanath here on Tuesday gave approval to the proposal for the launch the Uttar Pradesh Agriculture Growth and Rural Incomes Ecosystem Strengthening (UP AGRISE) project with a view to transforming the agriculture sector.
Backed by the World Bank funding, the $500 million (around ₹4,000 crore) ambitious project aims to enhance the productivity and economic viability of agriculture in the targeted 28 backward districts in U.P. The project’s duration is six years from 2024-25 to 2029-30.
The project will cover 28 backward districts comprising eight divisions under eastern UP and Bundelkhand, focusing on improving crop yields and boosting the income of marginal and small farmers.
The World Bank, according to the proposal, will fund the project and provide ₹2,800 crore to the state for this purpose while the state government will bear the remaining project cost of ₹1,200 crore.
Despite its significant agricultural output, Uttar Pradesh faces challenges such as low productivity, limited value addition and poor export performance.
The UPAGRI project, managed by the Uttar Pradesh Diversified Agriculture Support Project (UP DASP), aims to address these issues by implementing climate-resilient farming practices, developing high-value crop clusters and promoting local agricultural enterprises.
The new project is expected to create local employment, improve food security for Uttar Pradesh’s 240 million residents and establish a digital agribusiness network to facilitate better information exchange among stakeholders. It will also work on improving post-harvest management, processing and market support systems.
“Key initiatives include adoption of advanced agricultural technologies the formation of 30,750 Farmer Producer Groups and the development of a digital agribusiness platform. Additionally, the project will improve fish production facilities and implement environmental and social safeguards,” the official said.
At the local level, efforts will be made to reduce costs and increase productivity through farmers’ groups/clusters, thereby improving the financial situation of farmers while maintaining environmental balance. State and district-level committees will oversee the project’s implementation and progress.
It is proposed to develop the productivity of major crops along with qualitative growth in specific agricultural products, post-harvest management/value addition activities and market support systems by targeting the shortcomings of agriculture and allied sectors through the U.P. Agriculture Growth and Rural Incubation (UPAGRI) project.
