UP draws action Plans for doubling farmers' income

The Uttar Pradesh government has prepared separate action Plans for agriculture and allied sectors in its pursuit, for doubling farmers’ income in the state.

While, action Plans for agriculture, animal husbandry and sugarcane sectors has been drawn, the one pertaining to horticulture is in the offing.

“We have already started working on these action Plans with a view to double the farm income in the next two years by realising the true potential of agriculture, weeding out impediments and providing incentives,” state agricultural production commissioner (APC) Alok Ranjan told Business Standard .

UP ranks among India’s leading producers of agricultural products namely wheat, paddy, sugarcane, potato, mango and several other horticulture crops and fruit.

A majority of its workforce is employed in agriculture. Besides, the largest organised sector in UP is the sugar industry, which is sustained by large sugarcane plantations across the state.

There are about 125 sugar mills in UP, mostly in the private sector. Sugarcane sustains about four million farmers’ families and during the 2010-11 crushing season, farmers had received sugarcane payments of over Rs 13,000 crore from mills.

Ranjan had directed officials for developing new sugarcane varieties for higher cane production and yield. The officials have been asked to collate data regarding income to farmers from ‘gur’ and ‘khandsari’ units apart from sale to sugar mills.

“The segregated data would present a better picture about diversion of cane to gur and khandsari units, and the consolidated farmers’ income from sugarcane crop,” he informed.

Ranjan said these small units played a vital role in the local economy in rural areas.

The state government is expecting over 10 per cent increase in sugarcane acreage in 2011-12 season at 2.316 million hectares (mh) compared to 2.101 mh last year.

While fresh cane plantation is likely to increase by 5.7 per cent, ratoon crop is estimated to rise by 15 per cent. Areas, where major increase in cane acreage is likely, include Meerut, Moradabad, Bareilly, Lucknow, Faizabad, Devi Patan, Gorakhpur, Deoria and Saharanpur.

Meanwhile, the area under paddy during 2011-12 is estimated to increase to 59 lakh hectares vis-à-vis 56.32 lakh hectares last year. The corresponding acreage for 2008-09 and 2009-10 stood at about 60 lakh hectares and 50 lakh hectares respectively.

Meanwhile, the total area under kharif crops in the state, including paddy, is estimated to touch 84.14 lakh hectares compared to 80.30 lakh hectares the previous year. The total production of all kharif crops is likely to touch 172.54 lakh tonnes vis-à-vis 151.16 lakh tonnes during 2010-11.