Lucknow: The contribution of agriculture and related sectors to the gross domestic product (GDP) of Uttar Pradesh was Rs 5.98 lakh crore in the year 2023-24. According to departmental data, it will increase to about 7.24 lakh crore in 2024. This is about one-fourth of the total GDP of the state. These figures show the importance of the agriculture sector in Uttar Pradesh. In such a situation, as per the intention of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the agriculture sector will play an important role in the economy of one trillion of the state. In view of this, the Yogi government is taking every possible step for the betterment of the agriculture sector. It is with the farmers at every step from seed to market.
Efforts being made by the Yogi government for betterment
The necessary infrastructure (expressway, national highway, the country’s only waterway) is ready to give a boom to agriculture. The government is trying to find out the reason for the minimum and maximum yield of the same crop in different districts and remove it. Not only this, the government is trying to bring the production of crops which are less than the national average to the national average and to take the production of crops which are equal to or more than the national average to the level of the state with the best production. This is the aim of the UP AGRISE (Uttar Pradesh: Agricultural Development and Rural Entrepreneurship Strengthening) scheme, which is being run with the support of the World Bank, focusing on Bundelkhand and Purvanchal, which have relatively less production. The duration of the scheme is 6 years and the cost is Rs four thousand crores. It is expected that the productivity of the related districts will increase by about 30%.
The government has a special focus on the Seed Park Scheme, “One Block One Crop” for horticulture, reorganization of milk committees, posting of a senior administrative officer as Director General in the Fisheries Department, use of technology in farming.
For the promotion of all this, the state has 5 agricultural universities, 89 Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) affiliated to different universities. Apart from these, “The Million Farmers School” organized at the Nyaya Panchayat level before every Rabi and Kharif season, seminars and farmers fairs held at the divisional and district levels are also helping the farmers. The government is also constructing an agricultural college in Gonda, an agricultural university in Kushinagar, and veterinary colleges in Bhadohi and Gorakhpur. In this way, the Yogi government is focusing on the overall development of this region.
There is still a lot of scope for improvement in agriculture in UP
Actually, there is still a lot of scope for improvement in agriculture in Uttar Pradesh. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath often mentions that Uttar Pradesh has the infinite mercy of nature and God. Nine types of agro-climatic zones are suitable for all types of crops, horticulture and vegetable cultivation. Being the most populated state, there is neither the hassle of labor nor the worry of the market. Rivers like Ganga, Yamuna, Saryu have plenty of water available throughout the year.
Uttar Pradesh has the largest area of cultivable land (166 lakh hectares). More than 80 percent of the cultivable land is irrigated. The livelihood of about 3 crore families of the state depends on agriculture. Uttar Pradesh is number one in the country in the production of food grains and milk, second and third in the production of fruits and flowers. The Yogi government wants to expand these possibilities further so that this sector also plays an important role in the one trillion dollar economy.
