Farming foundation of prosperity in 'new' Uttar Pradesh CM Adityanath

Lucknow, May 4 (PTI) Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday said that farmers in Uttar Pradesh will not just be beneficiaries of government schemes but active partners in the state's development. 
    "In the new Uttar Pradesh of a new India, farming will not just be a means of livelihood but a foundation for prosperity and self-reliance," he said at a review meeting of the Agriculture Department.
    During the meeting, he highlighted that while Uttar Pradesh accounts for 11.41 per cent of the country’s agricultural land, it contributes 20.89 per cent to national food grain production, and added that the food grain output has increased to over 725 lakh metric tonnes in 2024–25 from 557 lakh metric tonnes in 2016-17. 
    There has also been more than a two-fold rise in the production of pulses and oilseeds during the same period, he underscored.
    In the meeting, he also touched upon seed quality and directed officials to develop climate-specific seeds for early and late sowing seasons. He stated these seeds should be properly certified and offered to farmers at subsidised rates.
    He also instructed the Uttar Pradesh Seed Development Corporation to increase payments to farmers for seed purchases and ensure the availability of processed seeds.
    Expressing the need for maximum use of institutions like the Uttar Pradesh Agricultural Research Council, the chief minister called for accelerating technology-based agricultural innovations and also instructed officials to immediately begin working on the proposed Chaudhary Charan Singh Seed Park in Lucknow. 
    To further ensure fairness in farm equipment distribution, he stressed transparency in the subsidy process. 
    The UP CM also stressed the promotion of "Shri Anna" (millets) and called for stronger procurement systems. 
    He underlined the importance of promoting natural farming and insisted on building a robust certification process for organic produce so farmers can earn better market prices.
    During the meeting, officials said that over 2.81 crore farmers have benefitted from the PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)