Gorakhpur (Uttar Pradesh) [India], March 30 : Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the aim of the government is to increase the income of farmers mfold and silk production along with natural farming can play a vital role in this.
CM Yogi was addressing farmers and the gathering after inaugurating the Sericulture Fair orgzed at Yogiraj Baba Gambhirnath Auditorium on Thursday afternoon.
On this occasion, the Chief Minister dedicated and laid the foundation stone of 18 Chaki rearing buildings, 36 community buildings and 9 threading machine sheds at the cost of Rs 11.38 crore.
Along with this, the grant amount was distributed to the beneficiaries for the silkworm rearing house.
In a program orgzed by the Directorate of Silk, Uttar Pradesh and Research Extension Center, Central Silk Board, Ministry of Textiles, Government of India, CM Yogi said that Uttar Pradesh is unique in terms of possibilities. Apart from being the largest state in terms of population, it is also the largest producer of food grains.
"The state constitutes 11 per cent of the country's total cultivable land but contributes 20 per cent to the country's total foodgrain production. It represents the potential of Uttar Pradesh, the fertility of its land and its rich water resources," the CM remarked.
There are 9 climatic zones in Uttar Pradesh and different crops grow here at different times.
The Chief Minister said, "Prime Minister Narendra Modi believes that India cannot be made prosperous without increasing the income of food providers. To increase the income of food givers, efforts will have to be made to increase per capita income and for this new methods have to be adopted."
CM said, "As the state moves towards natural farming, farmers can plant mulberry on their farm ridges to earn additional income."
"Plant it, look after it for five years, and you can increase your income by opening a silkworm-rearing centre at home with mulberry leaves," Yogi further pointed out.
The CM further said that by joining silkworm rearing, farmers can earn additional income of Rs 80000 to Rs 1.25 lakh on one acre of land.
The Chief Minister informed that there is a requirement of 3,000 tonnes of silk in UP, but the production is only 350 tonnes.
"From this point of view, UP is such a big market for silk producers. Every person sends his daughter to her in-law's house in a Banarasi saree. There are Banarasi sarees costing from Rs 45,000 to Rs 2.5 lakh on the stall of the fair. This is an example of a thriving silk market," CM said.
He said that the silk of Banaras is world famous. Along with this, Azamgarh Mubarakpur, Mau, Gorakhpur, Khalilabad, Ambedkar Nagar, Lucknow, and Meerut are also known for silk business.
The Chief Minister said, "The government has made good efforts regarding silk production in the state. Presently 60 tonnes of silk is produced in four districts of the Gorakhpur division. This can go up to 600 tonnes with farmers' efforts."
"This can stop imports from China. For this, attention has to be paid to technology, training and innovation. Apart from encouraging silk-producing farmers, the government is also connecting them with training and technology," the CM added.
"Silk production has increased 14 times in 20 years, so it will not take long to increase it 10 times in the next 5 years," the CM further remarked.
CM Yogi further said, "Ten days back PM Modi announced PM Mitra Mega Textile Park for Hardoi, which will benefit everyone, built on 1100-1200 acres."
Rakesh Sachan, Minister of MSME, Khadi, Village Industries, Silk, Handloom and Textiles, who was present as a special guest at the Sericulture Fair, said, "Consumption of silk is very high in Uttar Pradesh. Three thousand tonnes of silk is consumed in Varanasi though silk is not produced there."
"To increase the production and supply of silk in Uttar Pradesh, the state government has entered into an agreement with the Karnataka government," he added.
On this occasion, Dr Navneet Sehgal, Additional Chief Secretary, Silk Development Department, highlighted the objectives of the event.
He said, "Silk production is being done in 57 districts of UP and the target is to increase silk production intensively in 31 climate-friendly districts."
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