Lucknow To Host North Zone Agriculture Conference Focusing On Farmer Welfare And Policy Reforms

Lucknow: The North Zone is the lifeline of agriculture. Uttar Pradesh has taken several positive steps in the agriculture sector. As a result of these efforts, under the aegis of the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, a Regional Agriculture Conference (North Zone) will be held on April 24 (Friday) at Centrum Hotel.

The conference will see participation from 9 states and regions including Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Chandigarh, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Punjab and Delhi. Agriculture Ministers, Horticulture Ministers, Principal Secretaries, Directors, Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs), progressive farmers, scientists from Krishi Vigyan Kendra, and officials from the Government of India will be present.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Ministers of State Bhagirath Choudhary and Ramnath Thakur will attend the inaugural session.

This information was provided by Agriculture Minister Surya Pratap Shahi. Speaking to journalists at Lok Bhavan on Thursday, he gave detailed information about the event.

He stated that discussions and reviews will be held on agricultural credit, Kisan Credit Card, progress of the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund, farmers of the states, start-ups supported by the Centre, FPOs, NABARD, banks, mill owners, processing units, possibilities in horticulture, progress of the pulses self-reliance mission, seed agencies, procurement agencies, irrigation companies, National Edible Oil Mission, and other related subjects.

The Agriculture Minister said, "Various states have undertaken commendable work for farmers’ welfare and income enhancement. They will present their initiatives to inform and inspire other states. In Uttar Pradesh, intercropping with sugarcane has been introduced. A presentation will also be made on the Direct Seeding of Rice (DSR) method. The Government of India has recognized it as a best practice and beneficial for farmers."

He added that similarly, the Punjab government has adopted crop diversification methods in paddy cultivation, while Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand have implemented special techniques in horticulture. Information on other positive initiatives in agriculture from different states will also be exchanged.

The conference will also include detailed discussions and reviews on controlling the black marketing of fake pesticides and fertilizers, ensuring effective distribution, promoting alternatives, encouraging balanced use, and the use of alternative fertilizers in place of chemical fertilizers.

Discussions will also focus on future policy formulation for the North Zone and ways to empower farmers and make them economically self-reliant.

Responding to a question, the Agriculture Minister said, there is no shortage of fertilizers in Uttar Pradesh. The state currently has more than 20 lakh metric tonnes of fertilizers available, including 11.5 lakh metric tonnes of urea.

He added that the government has decided to provide approximately 40 thousand quintals of Dhaincha seed to farmers, which will help reduce urea consumption by 20 percent.