Union Minister for Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare and Rural Development Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Thursday held a high-level review meeting with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath at Yojana Bhavan, Lucknow, to discuss the state’s agriculture and rural development scenario in detail.
During the meeting, Shri Chouhan handed over two key approval letters to the Chief Minister -one extending Minimum Support Price procurement period for wheat, gram and masoor under the Rabi Marketing Season 2026–27 from June 24 to July 8, 2026, and another approving 6,18,482 pucca houses for Uttar Pradesh under the new phase of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana - Gramin.
UP India’s Agricultural Flagship State, Scientific Roadmap Needed
Addressing the meeting, Shri Chouhan described Uttar Pradesh as India’s leading agricultural state, noting that the state alone contributes around 38 per cent of the country’s wheat production. “Under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, Uttar Pradesh has the most crucial role in ensuring India’s food security and increasing farmers’ income.
Therefore, a scientific and long-term roadmap for agriculture in the state has become the need of the hour,” Chouhan said. He said climate change, rising temperatures and declining groundwater levels have emerged as serious challenges for farming.
The proposed scientific roadmap for Uttar Pradesh will integrate crop patterns, irrigation, water conservation, seeds, technology and marketing strategies. A draft framework was discussed in detail with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Agriculture Minister Surya Pratap Shahi and their team, and will be finalized jointly by the Centre and the state government.
MSP Procurement Period Extended for Rabi 2026–27
In a major relief for farmers, the Union Agriculture Minister formally handed over the approval letter extending the MSP procurement period for key Rabi crops. The approval, granted in response to the Uttar Pradesh government’s request and keeping farmers’ interests in mind, allows procurement of wheat, gram and masoor at MSP till July 8, 2026.
The extension aims to ensure that no farmer is deprived of selling produce at MSP due to practical difficulties such as weather conditions, delayed arrivals, weighing issues or congestion in mandis. The decision is expected to benefit lakhs of wheat, gram and masoor growers in Uttar Pradesh and help prevent distress sales at below-MSP prices.
El Niño Concerns: Contingency Plan for Low Rainfall
Shri Chouhan said signs of El Niño are visible this year and rainfall has so far remained below normal, with further shortfall likely. “The government’s priority is that fields should not remain vacant, farmers’ income should be protected, and the country’s food security should not be affected,” he said.
Accordingly, the meeting decided to prepare district-wise contingency plans promoting short-duration and low-water-requirement crops. Alternative crop lists will be prepared based on local water availability, soil conditions and existing cropping patterns.
A roadmap is also being prepared to ensure timely advisory services, seeds and technical guidance through Krishi Vigyan Kendra, the state agriculture department and local administration.
6,18,482 Rural Houses Approved Under PMAY-G
In a major push to rural housing, Shri Chouhan also handed over the approval letter sanctioning 6,18,482 pucca houses for Uttar Pradesh under the new phase of PMAY-G. He said the approval is part of the new PMAY-G phase for 2024–25 to 2028–29, under which the Centre aims to construct an additional two crore pucca houses across the country.
Out of these, 6,18,482 houses have been allocated to Uttar Pradesh, opening the way for providing permanent housing to lakhs of poor rural families in a phased manner.
‘Housing for All’: Survey Completed, Focus Shifts to Delivery
Chouhan said the survey of rural households in Uttar Pradesh has been completed and eligible poor families living in kutcha houses have been identified. “The next phase is to provide priority housing to these eligible families under PMAY-G and accelerate Prime Minister Modi’s ‘Housing for All’ mission on the ground,” he said.
He assured full financial and technical support from the Centre and emphasized timely construction, quality control and inclusion of every eligible beneficiary. Transparency and technology-based monitoring will be key features of implementation, he added.
Strong Team, Shared Vision
The review meeting was attended by Deputy Chief Minister and Rural Development Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya, Agriculture Minister Surya Pratap Shahi, Minister of State for Agriculture Baldev Singh Aulakh and Minister of State for Revenue Surendra Diler.
Senior officials from the Union and Uttar Pradesh departments of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare and Rural Development also participated and gave presentations on the progress of various schemes and the ground situation.
The meeting underscored that agriculture and rural development are being viewed not as isolated schemes but as a unified development vision, with emphasis on coordination and teamwork between the Centre and the Uttar Pradesh government so that policy decisions directly benefit farmers, agricultural labourers and rural poor families.
‘Farmer Strong, Villages Prosperous’: Shri Chouhan
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s clear vision is that farmers should prosper in every way and no poor family should remain without a pucca house. Both decisions, the extension of MSP procurement for Rabi 2026–27 and the approval of 6,18,482 houses under the new PMAY-G phase are linked to that vision,” Chouhan said.
He said the Centre and the Uttar Pradesh government are working with a common goal: strong farmers, prosperous villages, and making Uttar Pradesh a national model for agriculture and rural development.
Expressing confidence in Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and his team, Shri Chouhan said the scientific agricultural roadmap and housing programme being jointly implemented would bring major and lasting transformation to Uttar Pradesh’s farms, villages and poor families in the coming years.