Since the double engine government in Uttar Pradesh started focusing on boosting agriculture, young professionals are opting for organic farming with innovative ideas that is earning them dividends.
Recently, Vision Startups, a Lucknow-based organisation, had given away Progressive Startup awards to around 12 youngsters to encourage them.
Abhyudaya Pandey from Gorakhpur, who was also among the youths who were felicitated, said most of the people who bagged the awards were connected to agriculture.
Abhyudaya, a graduate from the Institute of Hotel Management in Kolkata, had also worked in a five star hotel in Hyderabad but he did not like the job.
Similar was the case of Maharajganj’s Nautanwa resident Hemant, an engineering graduate who worked in Larsen and Toubro.
Abhyudaya and Hemant want to innovate in the agriculture domain and have initiated work on it.
Abhyudaya has got a company called ‘Tathagat’ registered and his focus is on expanding the online business of Kushinagar’s turmeric and Siddharthnagar’s Kala Namak rice. His product is available on Amazon and ODP mart. He has plans to make a cluster of organic farming of Kala Namak.
Hemant has a range of around 100 products that include flour, spices, tea, jaggery and herbs, and is working on making a foodchain of organic products.
As every crop grows in a specific agro climatic zone, the network of farmers of such agricultural produce also expands to many states.
There is one more similarity between Hemant and Abhyudaya that both are admirers of the Narendra Modi government at the Centre and the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh for focusing on boosting agriculture.
However, these two youths are not the only ones who are attracted to organic farming.
Recently, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had met and encouraged a farmer – Gaya Prasad Singh of Lambhua in Sultanpur.
Gaya Prasad said that the farming of dragon fruit began many years ago in Kaushambi district. After collecting information from there, the farming of dragon fruit started in Sultanpur. Now, its farming has extended to seven districts including Mirzapur and Barabanki. It is full of medicinal benefits and is good for health.
Similarly, Gurleen Chawla of Budelkhand, Jhansi is earning a profit by cultivating strawberry. Gurleen who started farming with a terrace garden has now expanded it to several acres.
Gurleen, who has won accolades from the government for the successful farming of strawberry in Jhansi, began its farming on an experimental basis.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his monthly radio programme ‘Mann ki Baat’ spoke about an innovative farmer. Adityanath also hailed such farmers.
To woo other people, especially youths to farming, the Chief Minister had organised a strawberry festival in Jhansi, a Dragon fruit festival in Gorakhpur and a golden sweet potato festival. It is being hoped that a Banana Festival, an Amla festival in Pratapgarh and a Guava Festival in Prayagraj will also be held.
The Chief Minister had recently said that farmers with their hard work have grown crops about which there was a perception that agro climatic conditions and land were unfavourable. He directed that a proper system for marketing and processing of such food products be set up.
Agriculture scientist Dr R C Choudhary says Uttar Pradesh has vast opportunities for organic farming. It will help in increasing the farmers’ income and health awareness among the people.
–IANS