UP’s Gross Value Output For Horticulture Increases To Rs 38,000 Cr

Uttar Pradesh is slowly becoming the hub for cultivation of fruits and vegetables. As per the Agroforestry Report 2023, cultivation of fruits and vegetables has gradually increased in Uttar Pradesh. The state government’s constant efforts to diversify crops according to the changing climate and government schemes like Centres of excellence are said to have contributed to this increase. 

According to the report, the share of state in the cultivation of fruits and vegetables has increased from 7.2 per cent to 9.2 per cent in the country, within a decade while the Gross Value Output (GVO) obtained from it has increased from Rs 20,600 crore to Rs 38,000 crore. 

The Uttar Pradesh government has now announced that Horticulture based Centres of Excellence will be constructed in all the districts of the state to promote horticulture farming in the state. 

It may be recalled that when the Yogi Adityanath led BJP government took over the second time in UP, it set an ambitious target for the Department of Agriculture regarding expansion of the area of cultivation, increase in yield and processing for the next 5 years. 

As per the plan, the area under horticulture crops has to be expanded from 11.6 percent to 16 percent and food processing from 6 percent to 20 percent in UP by 2027. This has been done considering the possibility of a large number of processing units to be set up, which will require fruits and vegetables as raw material on a large scale.

According to the plan, the state government will set up an Excellence Centre, Mini Excellence Centre or Hi-Tech Nursery in every district within a stipulated time period. The Centres of Excellence is under construction in Chandauli, Kaushambi, Saharanpur, Lucknow, Kushinagar and Hapur. 

Similarly, Mini Centres of Excellence are functional in Bahraich, Ambedkar Nagar, Mau, Fatehpur, Aligarh, Rampur, and Hapur. Mini centres of excellence/hi-tech nurseries are also under construction at Sonbhadra, Moradabad, Agra, Sant Kabir Nagar, Mahoba, Jhansi, Barabanki, Lucknow, Chandauli, Gonda, Balrampur, Badaun, Firozabad, Shamli and Mirzapur. By 2027, the government plans to have such infrastructure in every district.

Giving details, Dr. SP Singh, Vegetable Scientist said, "The most effective means of increasing the income of the farmers in Uttar Pradesh is the cultivation of fruits, vegetables and spices. Having 9 types of agro-climatic zones, cultivation of all types of fruits, vegetables and flowers is possible in different regions. Small-marginal farmers will play an important role because they constitute about 90 percent of the total number of farmers, doing traditional farming of paddy, wheat, sugarcane etc. If their income is to be increased then they should be encouraged for the cultivation of fruits, vegetables and flowers.”