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Lucknow, September 05 (HS). Chief Secretary Manoj Kumar Singh participated in the Ag-Tech Start-up Summit-2024 at Hotel Taj. On this occasion, he launched the Vision Document for AgTech.
In his address, the Chief Secretary said that Uttar Pradesh is the powerhouse of agriculture not only for India but for the world. We have 75 percent of the land cultivable. We have learned over time that there are two important things that affect agriculture, first is weather and second is pricing. IFC and World Bank can play an important role in relieving farmers and agriculture from both of these.
He said that we are in an era where the use of technology and digital has become very important. Its use is important for big changes. The Department of Agriculture and the Government of Uttar Pradesh have taken this initiative forward for the last one-two years. It has the potential to bring positive change in the lives of farmers as well as agriculture. Agtech, which is the number one start up in the country, will be helpful in this. It will solve all kinds of problems of farmers, such as access to credit, progress in the condition of their crops, increase their productivity and will be helpful in the sale of production.
He said that keeping in mind that every farmer should get the maximum price for his produce, our effort is to take advantage of every possible opportunity. For the first time in the state, a joint platform is being developed in collaboration with Google and IFC to use technology in the agriculture sector. This will make all the necessary things available on a single platform to meet the needs of the farmers.
During this, Agriculture Production Commissioner Monika Garg said that in line with the vision of the Chief Minister, efforts are being made to double the income of farmers. Digital agriculture has entered the field with Agristack, which is a revolutionary concept. The Government of India has announced several proposals regarding digital agriculture, including soil health testing. In view of this, we are focusing on more partnerships with the private sector. Uttar Pradesh is already working on production, productivity and other parameters next year, in fact UPTA is going two steps ahead of this. In this sequence, we are getting an opportunity to work with IFC in a very important sector.
IFC Country Manager India and Maldives Ms. Wendy Werner said that Uttar Pradesh is doing very well in the field of agriculture and has a lot of potential. We are working together in UP to ensure that the private sector can be an important medium for innovative solutions.
It is noteworthy that the objective of this conference is to showcase initiatives that modernize agriculture and discuss the future of agriculture in the state. It is noteworthy that the Ag-Tech Start-up Summit provides a platform in which more than 25 Ag Techs from across the country, along with ecosystem builders such as policy makers, investors, representatives from the education world and international organizations, will learn about customized technologies and solutions to increase farm income and sustainability.
On this occasion, Principal Secretary Fisheries Department K. Ravindra Nayak, Secretary Agriculture Anurag Yadav and other senior officers were present.