The Uttar Pradesh government on Sunday announced that it has crossed its target of paddy purchase about two months in advance. UP is the first state in the country to do so. As per information given by the state government, in past four years, the state government has paid over Rs 32,000 crore to paddy farmers. Payment to wheat farmers has also crossed Rs 30,000 crore.
While the state government has surpassed the procurement target, Yogi Adityanath has instructed that the procurement of produce will continue in the state. The state government has already procured 60 lakh metric tonnes of grains as against the target of 55 lakh metric tonnes of grain. This is 1.5 times the quantity procured as compared to this period in previous year.
As per the state government figures, about 8 lakh farmers in the state have been paid Rs 7,800 crore. Till February 28, UP government to continue to procure grains, groundnut and other Kharif crops.
Record-breaking payment to farmers
UP government has made record-breaking payment to wheat farmers. In past four years, to over 33 lakh wheat farmers, the government has paid Rs 29,017.45 crore. Further, as of December 14, 2020, wheat and grain farmers were paid Rs 60,922.23 crore, which has been the highest payout ever to the farmers. The state government further stated that it has made record payment to sugarcane farmers in the state.
Strawberry farming in Bundelkhand
Strawberry Festival was inaugurated by UP CM Yogi Adityanath which was held in Jhansi, Bundelkhand region of Uttar Pradesh. Stating that strawberry farming in Bundelkhand is no less than miracle, UP CM Yogi Adityanath said that it has given a new identity to the region.
72.46 farmers across India benefitted from Kharif Marketing Season procurement operations
The Ministry of Agriculture in a recent statement said that paddy procurement for Kharif 2020-21 is continuing smoothly in the procuring States of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Uttarakhand, Tamil Nadu, Chandigarh, Jammu and Kashmir, Kerala, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar, Jharkhand, Assam, Karnataka and West Bengal.
As per the government, this has benefited nearly 72.46 lakh farmers. The Ministry further said that out of the total purchase of over 541 lakh metric tonnes, Punjab alone has contributed 202.77 lakh metric tonnes which is 37.47 per cent of total procurement.