Farmers’ income should be increased by linking agriculture with enterprise: Yogi Adityanath

Lucknow| Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said at the inauguration ceremony of the ‘Agriculture India-2024 Programme’ on Friday that. A lot of efforts were made in the country within 10 years to free the farmers from the clutches of usury and move them towards self-reliance. There is still room for improvement. We have to focus on how we can take the agriculture sector forward by using better technology. He further said, “Different states will have their own experiences within the country, according to different agricultural climatic zones, different areas of the country have made remarkable progress, this has happened in the world also amidst adverse circumstances. In such a situation, if we share best practices then we can learn a lot from each other.”

This four-day programme of agriculture and technology is being organized at Vrindavan Yojana ground. He focused on linking agriculture with entrepreneurship and using modern technology to increase farmers’ income.

Before the program, CM Yogi also participated in a bilateral meeting with country partner Netherlands, in which he held a meeting with the delegation in the presence of Netherlands Deputy Agriculture Minister Jain Kees Goet and Netherlands Ambassador Marissa Geraards. 2 MOUs have also been signed between the Government of Uttar Pradesh and Netherlands and various stalls of the exhibition were also visited by CM Yogi.

‘Krishi Bharat Exhibition’ is being organized in an area of 20,000 square meters, where sustainable development and innovation of agriculture is being showcased. Equipment related to agriculture, dairy, food processing and other services related to agricultural services and technology. More than 250 exhibitors and more than one lakh farmers and visitors will be present in the program in this exhibition. Krishi Bharat is being organized by CII which will act as a state and national pavilion to showcase world class agricultural technology advancements.

Launching the four-day ‘Krishi Bharat Programme’, CM Yogi wished the people of the state on the 555th Prakash Parv of Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji, Kartik Purnima and the 150th birthday of Lord Birsa Munda, the symbol of Dharti Aba and tribal pride.

CM Yogi thanked CII and said that since the year 2000, CII has been organizing Agrotech in India. For the first time, this event is being organized in Uttar Pradesh away from Chandigarh, which is very important. In Uttar Pradesh, Netherlands as a partner country in collaboration with CII and with the participation of countries like Australia, Canada, Uganda, Spain, UK, experts and stakeholders related to agriculture are also participating in this event.

CM Yogi said that India’s largest population resides in Uttar Pradesh. That’s 17 percent, that’s 25 crores. The state has only 11 percent of the total cultivable land of the country, but our agricultural production is 20 percent of the total agricultural production of the country, which shows our excellent water resources and fertile land strength. There is still a lot of potential in this. At present, we can increase the production which has helped us in increasing through digital agriculture and technology three to four times.

CM Yogi focused on reducing the cost of agriculture and using natural resources by reducing dependence on chemical fertilizers along with the use of modern technology. He said that there is scope for a comprehensive change by making farmers aware about it, making seeds accessible to the market, making them available to farmers and linking agriculture with entrepreneurship. Under the leadership of PM Modi, we have taken many steps for the benefit of farmers. Along with soil testing, agricultural insurance, agricultural irrigation, 12 crore Annadata farmers inside the country are receiving the benefits of Samman Nidhi.

He said that I am happy that the Ambassador of Netherlands had discussed these issues during her last visit to UP. Two important MoUs related to this have been signed between UP and Netherlands. In addition to Government to Government, there have been B2 B MOUs.

Along with CM Yogi, Agriculture Minister Surya Pratap Shahi, Fisheries Minister Dr. were present in the program. Sanjay Kumar Nishad, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Agricultural Marketing and Food Processing Dinesh Pratap Singh, Chief Secretary Manoj Kumar Singh, senior CII officials, Invest UP CEO Abhishek Prakash, ACEO and LDA VC Prathamesh Kumar along with Netherlands Deputy Agriculture Minister Jain Kees Goet, a delegation of Netherlands Ambassador Marissa Geraards in the prominent presence of Agriculture Production Commissioner Monica Garg Sanjeev Puri, Chairman of CII and Chairman and Managing Director of ITC Limited, and representatives from other countries were present.

Before the inaugural session, CM Yogi, while participating in the meeting with the delegation of Netherlands, said that Uttar Pradesh is the state with 25 crore population as well as the most fertile land and the best water resources. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, we have made good efforts in the fields of agriculture, horticulture, dairy and fisheries in Uttar Pradesh, but right now there are immense possibilities for working in this field. If we move forward in accordance with this regime with countries like the Netherlands, it will help us in taking our programs forward. In UP, we are jointly running six agricultural universities between the Center and the State. We also have Krishi Vigyan Kendras in every district, which play an important role in providing modern seeds and technology to the farmers.

Sanjeev Puri, Chairman of CII and Chairman and Managing Director of ITC Limited, said that for the first time Agrotech is being organized in Lucknow. UP is the new power house of agriculture. CM Yogi has shown a new direction to agriculture. Considerable progress has been made in India’s agriculture sector. Focus on modern technology is proving helpful in this direction. Excellent efforts have also been made towards sustainability. From 250 million tonnes, India is producing 330 million tonnes today, but there is still more potential for growth.

Minister of Agriculture, Agricultural Education and Agricultural Research Surya Pratap Shahi said that a great effort has been made in the form of Krishi Bharat 2024 to promote sustainable agriculture. Before Mahakumbh 2025, Mahakumbh of Agriculture and Technology is being organized today under the guidance of CM Yogi, which will prove to be a milestone in increasing agricultural production in the state and the country and taking the state to the target of one trillion dollar economy.

Netherlands is known for its agricultural efficiency and use of technology in the agriculture sector. All challenges can be addressed through partnership and coordination between India and Netherlands. India’s agriculture sector is full of achievements and immense potential and it is a matter of pride for us to participate. There are many challenges all over the world including climate change which need solutions. Along with sharing our expertise, we are learning a lot from India’s experience.