Lucknow: In a significant move aimed at empowering farmers and improving agricultural output, Yogi govt has unveiled a strategic plan to produce high-quality seeds locally in UP. As part of this plan, five seed parks will be established across the state. To cover the entire state in a strategic manner, the parks would come up in west, central, eastern and Terai belt and will be developed as per unique agro-climatic conditions of each region.
The parks, to be built under public-private partnership model, will cover a minimum area of 200 hectares each.The farms will be leased to interested parties while govt will offer the land with basic facilities to the players. Two farms would be developed in an area of more than 400 hectares.
The move is expected to reduce dependency on other states, improve crop yield locally and ultimately would enhance the quality of agricultural produce. The local production of quality seeds is expected to save the state about Rs 3,000 crore annually, while attracting additional investments and generating employment for the local community. Seed Replacement Rate (SRR) also plays a crucial role and would benefit the farmers, said officials.
As per agriculture department, UP has the largest cultivable land in the country covering 166 lakh hectares. And 80% of the area gets irrigation facilities. Agriculture is the primary source of livelihood for approximately 3 crore families in the state. While UP leads the nation in food grain and milk production and holds significant positions in fruit and flower cultivation, the state is still reliant on other regions for nearly half of its seed requirements.
Govt spends around Rs 3,000 crore annually on procuring hybrid seeds, primarily from Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. For example, 22% of wheat, 51% of paddy, 74% of maize, 95% of barley, 50% of pulses, and 52% of oilseeds seeds are sourced from other states.
Notably, despite having some of the most fertile land and extensive irrigation facilities, UP lags behind in terms of per hectare yield. For instance, wheat production in UP stands at 26.75 quintals per hectare, compared to Punjab’s 40.35 quintals. Similarly, paddy production in UP is 37.35 quintals per hectare, whereas Haryana produces 45.33 quintals. Quality seeds could potentially bridge this gap by increasing yields by 15% to 20%.
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