Lucknow: On Kisan Samman Diwas, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath saluted the hard work of farmers and boosted their morale. He spoke about the glow on the faces of farmers who received tractors under the Kisan Samridhi Yojna, noting how some were taking their mothers while others their wives on the tractors. This, he said, reflects the true strength of a farmer. Braving cold and heat alike, when a farmer sweats it out and absorbs the chill into his bones, channeling his energy in harmony with Mother Earth, agriculture yields grain like gold.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath offered floral tributes to the statue of former Prime Minister Bharat Ratna Chaudhary Charan Singh at the Vidhan Bhavan premises on his birth anniversary. On the occasion of Kisan Samman Diwas, the Chief Minister handed over tractor keys to farmers and also felicitated farmers, scientists, FPOs and others. He inaugurated the plot allotment process of the Chaudhary Charan Singh Seed Park at Atari, Lucknow.
The Chief Minister said that farmers in Uttar Pradesh have progressed through their hard work. When Narendra Modi took charge of the country in 2014, farmers became part of the government’s agenda for the first time. The earth is our mother and we are her children; therefore, it is the duty of a child to help the mother in times of illness or crisis. Through Soil Health Cards, Prime Minister Modi in 2014 made people aware of the health of Mother Earth. Farmers were connected with the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, followed by initiatives such as the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana, PM Kisan Samman Nidhi, MSP assurance, and improved facilities for farmers from seed to market.
The Chief Minister said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi honoured farmers by conferring the Bharat Ratna on Chaudhary Charan Singh. The agricultural loan waiver programme was implemented for small and marginal farmers. Earlier, farmers were not part of government schemes, but today they receive benefits from every scheme. Middlemen no longer decide crop prices. If farmers get good prices in the market, that is fine; otherwise, the government purchases their produce. Production of crops such as paddy, wheat, gram, mustard, bajra and maize has increased manifold in Uttar Pradesh, while costs have come downforming the foundation of farmer prosperity.
Referring to Chaudhary Charan Singh’s views, the Chief Minister said he always worked for the interests of the nation, villages and farmers. He believed that as long as farmers remain poor, India cannot become rich; rural India is the real India, and the path to prosperity passes through fields and farms. An aware populace is the foundation of a successful democracy. During his tenure in Uttar Pradesh, he implemented land reforms, abolished zamindari, enacted the Land Reforms Act, passed the Mandi Act to end exploitation by middlemen, abolished the patwari system, provided land revenue exemptions for small and marginal farmers up to three and a half acres, exempted fertilizers from sales tax, launched the food-for-work programme, and played a key role in establishing NABARD to provide credit for agriculture and rural development.
The Chief Minister said that in the last eight years, about ₹75,000 crore more has been transferred to farmers’ accounts as sugarcane payments than what was paid between 1996 and 2017 (21–22 years). Recently, sugarcane prices were increased, with early variety rates fixed at ₹400 per quintal for the 2025–26 crushing season. He said Uttar Pradesh is steadily moving towards farmer prosperity, with farmers adopting new technology and quality seeds to achieve higher output at lower costs.
The Chief Minister said that with support from the Government of India, 20 new Krishi Vigyan Kendras have been established in the past eight years, taking the total in Uttar Pradesh to 89the highest across nine climatic zones in any state. Centres of Excellence are also being developed. The agriculture department is working continuously. Ministers Surya Pratap Shahi, Chaudhary Laxmi Narayan and Baldev Singh Aulakh are farmers, while Sanjay Nishad is working for fisheries development.
To keep the legacy of Chaudhary Charan Singh alive, a modern seed park is being developed in Lucknow. Timely availability of high-quality seeds can increase production by up to 30 percent. In Barabanki, 31 acres have been identified for an advanced tissue culture lab for crops like sugarcane, banana and potato. The Chief Minister also mentioned Padma Shri Ramsaran Verma, who has successfully grown potatoes underground and tomatoes above ground, while training farmers. This year, a farmer school was organised in his village Daulatpur.
The Chief Minister said sugarcane farmers in Shahjahanpur, Lakhimpur Kheri and Bahraich have set a new record by producing 1,000 quintals per hectare. He directed the agriculture and sugarcane departments to take farmers there to learn the technology. Farmers will prosper when they receive technology and timely fertilizers and seeds. To prevent diseases like cancer and kidney or liver ailments, natural farming is the only solution, he said.
Listing farmer-centric initiatives, the Chief Minister said loans of farmers connected to 1.6 million private tubewells have been waived, and the government pays ₹3,600 crore annually to the power corporation. Loans through cooperative LDBs earlier carried an interest rate of 11.5 percent, which has now been reduced to six percent. The government will do everything in farmers’ interest. Schemes are no longer slow, farmers feel secure, and the government stands firmly with them. In line with Chaudhary Charan Singh’s vision, the double-engine government will continue to work for farmers’ welfare.
Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak, Agriculture Minister Surya Pratap Shahi, ministers Chaudhary Laxmi Narayan, Dharampal Singh, Dr. Sanjay Nishad, Anil Kumar, Dinesh Singh, Kapil Dev Agarwal, Baldev Singh Aulakh, Chairman of the Cow Welfare Commission Shyam Bihari Gupta, along with several BJP and RLD MLAs, were present at the Kisan Samman Diwas programme.
