The Uttar Pradesh government is set to launch a World Bank-funded Rs 4,000 crore agri business and entrepreneurship project.
The project will benefit farmers and agro MSMEs in 28 districts of Eastern UP and Bundelkhand regions of the state.
UP chief secretary Manoj Kumar Singh said the project will benefit a million farmers, including 30 percent rural women associated with self help groups (SHGs).
Recently, a World Bank delegation had met UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath in Lucknow for the proposed farm project.
The project will invest in high yielding varieties of seeds and farm infrastructure to harness the state’s diverse 9 climatic zones.
Moreover, the state will develop a digital platform for the agricultural sector, and facilitate the farmers to leverage the carbon credit market for income.
UP possesses nearly 1.88 billion hectares of agricultural land, which corresponds to 76 percent of the state’s total land mass.
The project also seeks to develop dedicated clusters of groundnut, chillies and peas crops to augment farm output, food processing and exports.
In the next 3-4 years, UP is targetting to increase farm exports from Rs 20,000 crore to Rs 50,000 crore by boosting productivity, food processing and reinvigorating the agro value chain.
In UP, horticultural crops spanning fruits, vegetables, flowers, medicinal plants, spices etc are grown over an estimated 2.1 million hectares (MH) of land.
Since UP is targetting to become a $trillion economy by 2027, the government is catalysing the agro sector to generate local employment and boost rural income. Farm sector startups are also being promoted with handholding and funding by the state.