UP sets up Yogi-led panel to double farmers' income by 2022

The orders related to the formation of the commission were issued on November 10, with Yogi as chairman and Agriculture Minister Surya Pratap Shahi as vice-chairman, a senior official said here.

Other members of the commission include Ramesh Chandra, a member of Niti Aayog, UP Chief Secretary, Agriculture Production Commissioner (APC), US Singh of International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) of Philippines, Prof Sushil Kumar of IIM-Lucknow and nine farmers from the state who have been successful in farming particular crops, the order said.

The commission will help in finding ways and implement them for doubling farmers' income by 2022, in sync with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's announcements in various rallies across the country.

It will be focussing on various points, including assessing strengths and weaknesses in agriculture, horticulture, animal husbandry and sericulture, and will also give suggestions in the drafting of policies for sustainable and equal agriculture development.

The commission will also look into ways for procuring more farmers' produce and for strengthening the system for storage and marketing of crops, the order said.

It will also analyse factors responsible for the decline in income in the sector, and study cooperative, contract, collective and corporate farming to accordingly suggest for efficiency and cost-effectiveness in agriculture.

Nine eminent farmers from Barabanki, Varanasi, Lakhimpur, Muzaffar Nagar, Mahoba, Deoria, Muzaffarnagar, and Banda having expertise in the production of different crops such as banana, tomato, sugarcane, etc, have also been made members of the commission.

Besides, Mahindra and Mahindra and ITC have been included as corporate members of the newly-formed commission.

"The main objective of the commission is to find ways and means to ensure that farmers' income increase and is doubled by 2022," Agriculture Production Commissioner Raj Pratap Singh said.

The commission will also look into possibilities of tie-ups with big food chains to have a direct link with farmers for buying their produce from their field to save their transportation cost and increase their profit margins.

The commission will start functioning by this month-end and would come out with its suggestions by January 2018.