UP To Transform Farm Economy

Lucknow: The UP government on Tuesday said it has launched a multi-pronged strategy to transform state's farm economy, in a bid to boost exports and secure food & nutritional needs.

The UP government has introduced several schemes to expand horticulture, support local processing, and open global market access. "Setting up fruit and vegetable processing units at the grassroots level is a key focus.

These units create jobs across the value chain -- from nurseries and plantations to harvesting, grading, packaging, and marketing," the government said. The state aims to establish at least 1,000 small and large-scale processing units in each district. Under the Pradhan Mantri Khadya Unnayan Yojana, beneficiaries setting up a unit can get a loan of up to Rs30 lakh with a 35 per cent subsidy from the government, it said. So far, around 17,000 units have already been set up. If the unit is owned by a woman entrepreneur and she wants to install a solar plant for it, the government provides up to 90 per cent subsidy on the solar plant, it added.

To further strengthen floriculture and vegetable farming, a new Indo-Dutch Centre of Excellence will be set up in Trivediganj, Barabanki, spanning seven hectares. Developed in collaboration with Dutch experts, this center will serve as a hub for research and hands-on training, the government said. "A major Export Hub is being developed near the upcoming Jewar International Airport, Asia's largest, while Uttar Pradesh's first Gamma Irradiation Plant has been completed in Nadarganj, Lucknow, ensuring treated fruits and vegetables remain safe and have an extended shelf life -- meeting international standards," it said.