Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Agriculture Minister Surya Pratap Shahi on Thursday accused the previous Samajwadi Party government of pursuing anti-farmer policies that left farmers distressed and financially weak. He said the Yogi Adityanath government has consistently prioritized farmers’ welfare and taken historic decisions to provide economic relief and restore their confidence.
Addressing the media, Shahi said that soon after coming to power in 2017, the Yogi government took a landmark decision in its very first Cabinet meeting to waive agricultural loans worth ₹36,000 crore benefiting nearly 86 lakh farmers across the state. He described the move as a major step toward restoring dignity and financial stability for farmers.
The minister alleged that under the previous government, farmers faced problems related to sugarcane payments, procurement at minimum support price, and fertilizer availability. He also claimed that farmers received inadequate support during natural disasters.
Highlighting achievements of the current government, Shahi said pending sugarcane dues of around ₹10,000 crore were cleared after the BJP government came to power. He added that the Yogi government has ensured record sugarcane payments of over ₹3.27 lakh crore to farmers during its tenure, including pending dues from previous years.
Shahi said the government has introduced transparent systems to eliminate middlemen and ensure timely payments to farmers, reducing their dependence on officials and brokers for basic entitlements.
