Uttar Pradesh govt plans to promote agri startups, introduce AI in farming

The Uttar Pradesh government has partnered with the agriculture industry to bolster agri startups and introduce artificial intelligence (AI) in farming to boost rural economy and ‘smart farming’ practices.

The Yogi Adityanath government is also planning to host a global farmers’ summit ‘Krishi Bharat’ in November 2024 in association with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).

Delegations of farmers and agri experts from countries like the US, Germany, Brazil, Italy, Poland, France, Spain, Indonesia, and Kenya will participate in the four-day mega event in Lucknow.

The state is looking to host the farm summit on the same scale as the UP Global Investors Summit (GIS) held in February 2023, which fetched the state more than 19,000 investment proposals to the tune of Rs 40 trillion from domestic and multinational companies.

While UP is among the leading agricultural producers, the state suffers from lower per hectare yield and sub-optimal food processing. This translates to lower farm incomes and higher farm wastage.

“The farm summit will encompass various agri startups, foreign companies, and global venture capitalists looking for opportunities to invest in the domestic agricultural value chain,” Tarun Sawhney, chairman, CII Krishi Bharat 2024, and vice-chairman & managing director, Triveni Engineering & Industries Ltd, said.

He said since UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is a strong votary of farm issues, it was helping the industry to walk an extra mile towards facilitating the farm economy and agri innovations.

The state is looking at sending state progressive farmers to foreign countries for knowledge sharing in best agricultural practices. It will also showcase ‘agri tourism’, arranging field visits to foreign delegations to familiarise them with local farm practices and allied activities.

In UP, the net cropped area is estimated at more than 20 million hectares, which is almost 85 per cent of the state’s total land mass. UP tops in sugarcane and dairy production.

Paddy and rice accounts for the largest, 33 per cent, of the state’s cropped area, followed by wheat, pulses, and oilseeds at 33 per cent, sugarcane 16 per cent, and maize and millets at 14 per cent.

UP has 88 per cent of its landmass as irrigated area. Out of this, tube wells account for 70 per cent followed by canals at 10 per cent, and wells at 6.5 per cent.

Madhav Singhania, Chairman, CII Northern Region & Deputy Managing Director & CEO, JK Cement Ltd, said the industry is keen to resolve policy issues in consultation with the government and policymakers and upgrading the technology quotient in agriculture.