Farmers Movement Archive

Govt will guarantee farmers’ interest under contract farming, says UP CM Yogi Adityanath

AYODHYA/LUCKNOW: Under contract farming, the government would ensure that farmers' interest are taken care of well, said Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath at farmers meet at Acharya Narendra Dev Agriculture University in Ayodhya The UP CM maintained that contract farming was the need of the hour and it would not hurt the interests of farmers in any way. “Instead it would increase their income considerably. The government is already giving guarantee that they will get the right price of their produce,” he said. The CM said that the farmers will also have the liberty to sell their produce wherever they get the best price and the government will interfere with their decision while ensuring that the farmers do not face any kind of loss. He also informed the gathering that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would transfer 18,000 crore in the bank accounts of farmers under PM Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme on the birth anniversary of former PM late Atal Behari Vajpayee on December 25. Of the total, as many as 2.30 crore farmers, who will receive the Samman Nidhi in their accounts, hail from Uttar Pradesh. CM Yogi urges farmers not to get misguided by Oppn campaignMaking the announcement on Sunday, the CM reiterated the government's commitment to double farmers’ income by 2022. “It is for everyone to see and realise that ever since the BJP came to power, the welfare of farmers has always been on top of the agenda. We are not going to leave a single stone unturned to ensure your betterment irrespective of what may come,” Yogi said, appealing the farmers not to get misguided by the opposition campaign. “Some people are trying to misguide the farmers and spread rumours that the Minimum Support Price (MSP) will be quashed and the Mandis will be closed. Time and again our PM has assured that nothing of this kind is going to happen,” Yogi stressed. He also accused the opposition of having no interest in the wellbeing of the farmers and seeking to give an upper hand to middlemen and brokers. He said that the Congress did not take cognizance of the Swaminathan commission’s report (on the MSP) as it had nothing to do with the interests of the farmers. “Now the same people are again protesting the agriculture bills that are completely in the favour and interest of farmers and the youths,” he said. Yogi recalled how his government in its first cabinet meeting in 2017 decided to waive a total of Rs 36,000 crore farm loans, benefiting around 86 lakh farmers. Even during Corona times, the state government continued its efforts for the betterment of farmers and as much as 26 lakh MT of wheat and 52 lakh MT of paddy has been purchased so far, he said. He underlined his government's achievement of setting up 20 Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) with the help of agriculture universities in the past three years to infuse latest techniques in agriculture and promote research in the field. “Some of these centres will be upgraded to the centres of excellence’ so that the latest studies and researches reach to the famers in the right earnest,” he said. Yogi also laid foundation stone of and dedicated 40 projects worth about 90 crore of agriculture, agriculture science and research, animal husbandry, fishery and irrigation in Ayodhya, Gorakhpur, Basti, Bahraich, Barabanki, Balrampur, Siddharth Nagar, Ambedkar Nagar, Amethi, Sultanpur, Jaunp[ur, Ghazipur, Mau, Chandauli and Sonbhadra.

The Times of India

2020-12-21

Lucknow