The rate of agricultural development in Uttar Pradesh must be doubled if the state is to become a growth engine and the country’s largest economy, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said on Friday.

At a function to mark Kisan Samman Diwas-2022, he also said Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) and technology can play a significant role to achieve this aim.

Paying tributes to former prime minister Chaudhary Charan Singh for his welfare works for farmers Adityanath said, "Chaudhary Saheb had stated after independence that emphasis was needed 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."

According to an official statement, the chief minister inaugurated the exhibition of products of FPOs in Lucknow in addition to awarding and honouring farmers/ agri-entrepreneurs and agricultural scientists.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a number of programmes as soon as he came to power in 2014 in an effort to fulfil Chaudhary Saheb’s dream, and transform the lives of 'annadata' farmers, and double their income, he said. "The objective of these initiatives was to reduce costs and increase productivity."

Listing farmer welfare schemes in Uttar Pradesh, Adityanath said, "First of all, in March 2017, our government waived loans worth Rs 36,000 crore for 86 lakh farmers. In the last 5.5 years, additional irrigation facilities were provided for 22 lakh hectare of land. Besides, over Rs 51,000 crore have already been transferred to the bank accounts of more than 2.60 crore farmers in UP."

For the first time in independent India, the farmer became a part of the country’s political agenda and welfare schemes were made available to him, he said, adding that over the past eight years, people have seen how technology can 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 Rs 1.84 lakh crore was also paid to the farmers," he said.

He also said no sugar mills were shut down during the pandemic, instead, 119 sugar mills were operating in the state.

Criticising the previous governments for closing sugar mills, the chief minister 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 instead set up."

Stating that Uttar Pradesh has a large number of small and marginal farmers, he said, farmers with small holdings are not able to adopt the technology. That’s the reason the role of FPOs will be important.

Adityanath said the prime minister has given a new concept of farming in the form of national natural farming to farmers of the country.

"The experience of natural farming teaches a lot. This time the monsoon came late, but the annadata farmers associated with natural farming had already made preparations and their productivity was good."

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(Edited by : Anushka Sharma)