ADB to suggest ways to add value to mango, guava potato farming

Lucknow : The Asian Development Bank (ADB) will undertake an exhaustive study in Uttar Pradesh to add value to mango growing, guava, potato and pulse farming, and submit a report to the state government, an official said on Monday.

This decision was taken at a meeting of an ADB delegation headed by its Country Head Kenichi Yokoyama with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and senior officials of the state government.

Adityanath told the delegates that there was need for diversification in agriculture in the present-day scenario as this would lead to better profits to farmers. He also stressed the need to move beyond the conventional farming in vegetable growing, fruit production, horticulture, pisciculture and dairy development.

The Chief Minister also reiterated the commitment of the state government to realise the dream of Prime Minister Narendra Modi of doubling farmers' income by 2022. The state government, he added, was working on an action plan to achieve this target.

Emphasising the need for assimilation of new and modern techniques, Adityanath also called for wider publicity of drip irrigation. He suggested that through MNREGA, many works could be done which would benefit small and medium farmers.

Farmers were benefiting from the Prime Minister's Crop Insurance Scheme and the Prime Minister's Agriculture Irrigation Scheme, the Chief Minister pointed out while adding how soil health cards for accurate nature of the soil were benefiting the farmers in a big way.

The Uttar Pradesh government had ensured distribution of two crore soil health cards, which was the highest in the country.