UP to felicitate 100 progressive farmers in each district

Virendra Singh Rawat

Lucknow / Jan 3, 2021

Amid the ongoing farm stir in the periphery of Delhi over the new central farm laws, the Uttar Pradesh government has decided to felicitate 100 progressive farmers in each district.

For this purpose, the state agriculture department will select 100 progressive farmers at the district level as role models for local farmers. They will be feted and given a platform to present their views during the ‘Kisan Kalyan Mission’ programme to be rolled out across 350 blocks from January 6. 

This is aimed at encouraging farmers to take up advanced methods of farming so as to augment rural income. The progressive farmers will relate their success stories to inspire fellow farmers.

Farmers Producing Organisation (FPO) functionaries constituted at the block level will also be invited to these events. Apart from giving certificates, the approved farm machinery bank and seeding equipment will be distributed to the farmers.

There are about 23 million farmers’ households in UP, of which nearly 21 million or 90% are small and marginal farmers. The average size of land holdings in UP is only 0.73 hectares compared to 3.62 hectares in Punjab.