Yogi Adityanath govt to host global farmers summit 'Krishi Kumbh 2018'

After hosting big ticket ‘UP Investors Summit 2018’ and dedicated MSME conclave ‘One District One Product Summit’, the Yogi Adityanath government is gearing up to organise global farmers meet ‘Krishi Kumbh’ on October 26-28.

An estimated 100,000 farmers, agricultural experts, scientists, entrepreneurs, public and private sector representatives are expected at the three-day international event, aimed at promoting modern farming techniques to achieve the ultimate goal of doubling the farm income.

UP Agriculture Minister Surya Pratap Shahi said Krishi Kumbh would incorporate all aspects of rural economy viz. agriculture, horticulture, dairy, pisciculture, beekeeping, food processing, animal husbandry, farm implements etc to provide a holistic picture to farmers and the allied sectors.

To make a pitch for the proposed event, the government had organised a promotional pre-event meet in the national capital yesterday to market the summit as an exclusive brand. Interestingly, the Adityanath government is also preparing for the mega congregation of faith ‘Kumbh Mela 2019’ to be held at Prayag, Allahabad, where 140 million pilgrims are expected.

Shahi said the Krishi Kumbh would introduce the farmers to the evolving dynamics of farming, so that they can increase their income by leveraging the vast untapped potential of agriculture and post-harvest management.

After coming to power, the Yogi Adityanath government had taken a 360-degree approach to virtually turnaround economy for sustained socio-economic growth and job creation. The various investors summit and now the agri summit are strategic steps in the same direction. To support farmers, the state government had last year announced the flagship crop loan waiver scheme worth Rs 360 billion to benefit 8.6 million small and marginal farmers.

This year, the government has taken steps to boost the cultivation of coarse food grains to economise on the use of water, especially during deficient rainfall. The state also distributed 20,000 solar pumps and 15,000 sprinklers for economical irrigation and tapping solar energy for power.

Meanwhile, the state has identified 2.5 million farmers for giving Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojna cover during the current kharif crop season in UP.

Shahi claimed that the food grain production increased by 2 MT this year and that UP had a surplus food grain inventory of 10 MT. Besides, the agricultural and horticultural production has been robust, including potato, which clocked a record output of 15.5 million tonnes (MT) this year.

UP is among the top agricultural and allied sector producers in India, accounting for almost 36 and 12 per cent of wheat and paddy respectively, besides potato (35%), sugarcane (40%) and the top diary producer.

This year, the government clocked wheat and paddy procurement of 3.7 MT and 5.2 MT respectively, much higher than previous years.