Uttar Pradesh’s Farm Exports increase 5% to Rs 19,000 crore in FY23

LUCKNOW: Giving a shot in the arm to Uttar Pradesh’s efforts to shore up rural income, the farm exports from the landlocked state increasedtoalmostRs.19,000crorein thefiscalyear2022-23.

The state’s farm export value jumped 5.5 per cent from nearly Rs.18,000crorein2021-22toRs.19,000 crore in 2022-23. The farm exports comprised agricultural and horticultural crops, such as fruits, vegetables, food grains, oilseeds, etc. especially those promoted by the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority(APEDA).

Toeing the line of the Centre, the UPGovernmentistargetingtodouble the farm income by taking a multipronged approach of increasing productivity, yield and acreage, apart fromprovidingaprofitablemarketing valuechain.

Meanwhile, UP Chief Secretary Durga Shankar Mishra has tasked officialswithdraftinganactionplanto further boost agricultural exports through a consultative mechanism. “UP has a large potential of farm exports, which need a focussed approach to maximise the benefits,” he said, while ordering for promotingdistrictsthatleadthefarm exportstally.

UP produces nearly 21 per cent of the total food grains, 10.8 per cent fruits and 15.4 per cent of the vegetables in India. The agricultural sector contributes more than 25 per cent to the UP Gross State Domesticproduct(GSDP).

Meanwhile, the state has received proposals to set up five agricultural clusters of basmati rice and mango in four districts — Muzaffarnagar,

Meerut,Shamli,andSitapur.

The principal crops grown in UP include wheat, maize, paddy, potato, sugarcane, pulses, oilseeds apart from a range of fruit and vegetable crops.

In UP, the total cultivated area is pegged at 17.7 million hectares (mh), of which the irrigated area is roughly 87 per cent. The state tops in the production of food grains, sugarcane, potato, milk, meat as well as horticultural produce basket. Its share in the national agricultural exportsisabout7.35percent.

In terms of the quantity exported, the state contributes nearly 50 per cent in buffalo meat, 38 per cent wheat, 27 per cent natural honey, 4.12 per cent fresh mangoes, 16 per centinotherfreshfruits,13.31percent indairy,4percentinnon-basmatirice, and3.21percentinbasmatirice.