New Delhi. CM Yogi Aadityinath said that natural farming is a good means of low cost, good production and toxin free farming. If scientists join this campaign for its encouragement, then not only will we help in increasing the income of farmers manifold. With the help of all of you, we will make Uttar Pradesh an organic state. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath virtually inaugurated the National Seminar on the 33rd Foundation Day of Uttar Pradesh Agricultural Research Council in Lucknow today. Scientists from all over the country participated in it. During this, he said that natural farming is eco-friendly because it is safe for people, land and water. Such farming is also helpful in cow protection. The Annadata will be greatly benefited by the involvement of scientists in this campaign. This will increase their income as well as get freedom from all kinds of diseases.
He said that the State Government is setting up testing labs at all the divisional headquarters. There will be facility for certification of seeds and products. By encouraging natural farming, in this way we will be successful in developing our state as an organic state.
Yogi said that keeping in view the interest of the farmers, our government had taken forward a big program of crop loan waiver in the year 2017. At the same time, respected Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji, so that our farmers get the MSP at one and a half times the cost of their crops, so that the farmers of Uttar Pradesh are successfully getting the benefits of the MSP they announced in 2018.
Direct purchase system is available in Uttar Pradesh today. But within the last five years, the way agricultural diversification was carried forward through scientific method, in the way new technology, advanced seeds, 04 agricultural universities, 89 Krishi Vigyan Kendras have helped in bringing it to the ground through institutions like Upkar. It has helped significantly in increasing the income of the Annadata farmers.
He said that within the last five years, we have provided additional irrigation facility to 21 lakh hectares of land in the state. By completing the irrigation projects pending for decades (Banasagar, Saryu Canal, Arjun Sahayak etc) in a time bound manner, we tried to bring about a massive change in the lives of Annadata farmers. Said that 120 sugar mills continued to run between Corona. In these 5 years, we have succeeded in making payment of 1 lakh 75000 crores to sugarcane farmers.
He said that the biggest challenge in front of us today is how we can do poison-free farming at low cost. We are grateful to the Prime Minister, who made a provision for this in the Union Budget. This option is ‘cow based natural farming’. The Prime Minister had asked Uttar Pradesh in 2020 whether we can promote it in the banks of the Ganges? Can we promote horticulture crops, vegetable cultivation in this form? At that time we had taken out Ganga Yatra. Ganga Yatra succeeded in establishing Ganga Nursery, Ganga Garden, Ganga Udyan etc. at many places. He said that there is a provision in the Union Budget that we have to promote natural farming in 05-05 km area of both the banks of Mother Ganga. Both the central and state government will cooperate in this. Apart from this, the state government has made a program to encourage natural farming in the entire region of Bundelkhand.