Uttar Pradesh has seen record production of pulses and oil seeds: Agriculture minister Surya Pratap Shahi

Deoria: Uttar Pradesh Agriculture Minister Surya Pratap Shahi said that there has been a record production of pulses and oilseeds in the state, which is four times higher than the production of last year. “This year, we are expecting that production of wheat will touch 331 lakh metric tonne, while potato production will touch 160 metric tonne. Similarly, pulses’ production will reach 22 lakh metric tonne,” Shahi told reporters. [caption id=“attachment_1339435” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representative Image.Reuters[/caption] The agriculture minister also said that the state government is mulling to register all the farmers in the state, so that there is no anomaly in giving any type of concessions to them. “Till now, 1.28 crore have registered themselves for this facility,” Shahi said. He added that to tackle the arid situation, which poses a major challenge for irrigation, the state government has started Khet Taalaab Yojnaa (Agriculture Land Pond Scheme) under which the farmers will be allowed to make ponds in the agriculture fields. “Half of the cost will be borne by the state government,” Shahi said. The agriculture minister also said that the state government has already purchased 20 lakh metric tonne of wheat, out of the targeted 80 lakh metric tonne. Shahi also mentioned that the Uttar Pradesh government will make efforts to double the income of the farmers while adding that an increased foodgrain production is also envisaged. “Without the development of the farmer, the development of the state and country will be a distant reality. The Uttar Pradesh government will endeavour to double the income of the farmers.For this efforts will have to be made to reduce the input cost, while increasing the production,” Shahi said. He emphasised on novel methods to boost production. “Scientific farming techniques, availability of funds at right time, soil testing, use of organic manure and crop insurance will be made available to the farmers, so as to boost the agricultural production,” he said. He mentioned that 17.50 lakh packets of organic manure will be distributed to farmers in the state. Training will also be imparted to farmers, and benefits of various schemes will also be provided to them.