Uttar Pradesh became the star of agriculture under the leadership of CM Yogi: Big statement of Shivraj Singh Chouhan

Lucknow: Addressing the North Regional Agriculture Conference in Lucknow, Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan praised the agricultural achievements of Uttar Pradesh and said that under the able leadership of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, UP has today become the number one state in the agriculture sector in the country. He said that the Yogi government has made unprecedented progress in agriculture and has created history.

Chouhan stressed that keeping in mind the diverse climate of the country, every region and state should make different strategies according to their local conditions. The same formula cannot be applied to the entire country.

UP tops in food grain production, now the target ahead

He said that Uttar Pradesh ranks first in the entire country in food grain production. This is a big achievement, but challenges also exist. Now we have moved beyond the situation of looking at any other state. UP is exporting 25 lakh metric tonnes of grains, yet the state with a population of 1.40 crore has to focus on three major goals. Food security, farmers’ livelihood and nutritional security. Besides, effective arrangements will also have to be made to compensate the losses incurred by the farmers.

Diversification and soil health are important

Agriculture will have to be moved towards diversification instead of depending on one crop. Chouhan warned that fertilizer consumption is increasing in UP, while the problem of deteriorating soil health is coming to the fore in Punjab. We should pay special attention to soil conservation by taking lessons from Punjab.

The most important thing is the quality of the seeds. Farmers will have to be provided with climate friendly, better and improved seeds. Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has recently developed 3400 new varieties. If there is less rainfall in future, then we will have to be prepared in advance to deal with such a situation.

Strict action on fake fertilizers and pesticides, every state should make its own roadmap

Giving a strict warning against fake fertilizers and pesticides, the Union Minister said that the Central Government is going to make a new law in this direction. State governments should also launch a large-scale campaign against such culprits.

Every state should prepare its own separate agricultural roadmap. There are about 16 thousand agricultural scientists present in the country, they will have to work in this direction by setting targets. Apart from Kharif and Rabi, long term agriculture plan will also have to be made.

Emphasis on farmer registry and credit card

Chauhan said that the work of farmer registry is going on at a fast pace. Some states are lagging behind in this, they should move in this direction quickly. With this, farmers will be able to get 16 types of benefits. Also, state governments should run a special campaign to make Kisan Credit Card (KCC) so that banking facilities reach every farmer.

Vikas Krishi Sankalp Abhiyaan: Scientists reach village

Announcing the launch of the Vikas Krishi Sankalp campaign, the Union Minister said that agricultural scientists should reach from lab to farm and from village to village. They should listen to the problems of the farmers, satisfy their queries and make them aware of new technologies. This will not only benefit the farmers but will also increase the usefulness of the scientists.

He appealed to all the states to implement this campaign at their level so that revolution can be brought in the agriculture sector.