UP to open procurement centres,announce maize MSP soon: CM

Time of India

9 hours ago

Kanpur: Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday said the govt will open procurement centres for maize and declare the minimum support price (MSP) for the crop soon.
Addressing a gathering under 'Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan' at Ajitmal in Auraiya, the CM accused the previous govts at the Centre and in Uttar Pradesh of ignoring welfare of farmers.
"For the first time in independent India, farmers became part of the central govt's political agenda in 2014 when Narendra Modi took over as the Prime Minister and several innovative schemes were introduced for their welfare," the CM said.
Highlighting a change in agricultural patterns, he said that earlier the farmers in the state were limited to one or two crops, but maize emerged as a profitable third crop, cultivated on over five lakh hectares of land.
"Farmers are now earning up to Rs 2.5 lakh per hectare. We assure farmers that we will soon open procurement centres and declare MSP for maize as well," the CM said.
He said that under the BJP's double-engine govt, agricultural scientists and experts from Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) were sent from labs to the fields for the first time.
"This 'Lab to Land' initiative is part of PM Modi's vision of taking farmers from 'seed to market', prioritising their interests.
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It was in 2014 that the farmer, the provider of food, was included in the govt's political agenda. This was visible for the first time when PM Modi launched the soil health card scheme," he said.
Yogi said that before 2014, hardly anyone apart from agricultural scientists knew about soil health cards.
"Schemes like the PM's agricultural irrigation scheme and crop insurance were launched. Today, over 12 crore farmers across the country are benefitting from the PM-KISAN scheme," he said.
"In UP alone, Rs 85,000 crore has been transferred to the accounts of 2.86 crore farmers so far. Our govt has given jobs to eight lakh youths so far. On June 15, Union home minister Amit Shah will hand over appointment letters to 60,000 personnel recruited in the police force," he added.
Highlighting the plight of farmers before the BJP came to power in 2017, he said: "Farmers were committing suicide, sugarcane dues were unpaid, and there were no procurement centres for maize, pulses, oilseeds, potatoes, paddy, or wheat.
In 2017, we waived farmers' loans worth Rs 36,000 crore for 86 lakh farmers. We expanded irrigation capacity under the PM Krishi Sinchai Yojana, covering an additional 23 lakh hectares of land.
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The govt also provided free electricity for 15 lakh private tube wells of farmers, for which Rs 2,700 crore was paid to the electricity department annually, he said, adding that under the PM Kusum Yojana, more than one lakh farmers had received solar panels.
He said that under the SP govt, law and order had deteriorated, and recruitments were marred by nepotism.
"Back then, gangsters ruled, women and traders were unsafe, and recruitments were controlled by 'uncle and nephew'," he alleged.
He said that the BJP govt recruited over 1.6 lakh teachers and asserted that hiring in various departments including PWD, irrigation and agriculture was done with complete transparency.
"It's been a long time since Auraiya became a district. There was no police lines here, therefore, the facility is being constructed at a cost of Rs 272 crore. A bridge is being built over the Yamuna River for Rs 151 crore. A CM model composite school is also being constructed. Budgets have been allocated for agricultural science centre," he said.
He said the One District, One Product (ODOP) initiative connected two crore youths to self-employment, while 65 lakh youths secured employment through investments.
He cited the destruction of temple in Kashi by Aurangzeb and its restoration by Ahilyabai, explaining the renaming of Auraiya University in her honour.
Agriculture minister Surya Pratap Shahi and minister of state Baldev Singh Aulakh were present. Earlier, the CM conducted an aerial assessment of maize cultivation in Auraiya, Kannauj, Etawah, and Kanpur Dehat.