State Govt to Soon Announce MSP for Maize, Open Procurement Centres: CM

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday said the state will soon open procurement centers for maize and declare Minimum Support Price (MSP) for the crop.

- Press Trust of India

AURAIYA:

Addressing a gathering under the 'Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan' here, the chief minister accused the previous central and state governments of ignoring farmers' welfare.

For the first time in independent India, farmers became part of the central government's political agenda in 2014 when Narendra Modi assumed office as prime minister and several innovative schemes were introduced for their welfare, he noted.

Highlighting a change in agricultural patterns, Adityanath said, "Earlier, farmers in the state were limited to one or two crops. Now, maize has become a profitable third crop, cultivated on over five lakh hectares. Farmers are now earning up to Rs 2.5 lakh per hectare." "We assure farmers here that we will soon open procurement centers and declare Minimum Support Price (MSP) for maize as well," he said.

He said that under the BJP's double-engine government of the Centre and the state, agricultural scientists and Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) experts have been sent from labs to the fields for the first time.

"This 'Lab to Land' initiative is part of PM Modi's vision of taking farmers from 'seed to market', prioritizing their interests," he said.