Accusing previous SP and BSP governments of having an "apathetic" attitude towards farmers, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said his government had accorded top priority to them, giving record sugarcane dues after assuming office.

"During the SP, BSP regimes, the attitude of the government was apathetic and farmers could barely get Rs 900 per quintal for wheat but our government is giving Rs 1,860 per quintal,” an official release quoting him said.

"For the first time after the Independence, over Rs 70,000 crore outstanding payment was made to sugarcane farmers," he claimed.

The chief minister alleged that the previous SP government had "ruined" the milk production while his government had been making efforts to promote the dairy industry and its products.

"Over 14 dairies will be started soon in the state. Arrangements are being made to purchase milk from farmers so that more of them could get into the dairy industry," he said at an innovative farmers' meet, organised by Madan Mohan Malviya University of Technology here under the aegis of the CII and the UP Agriculture Department.

The CM said in the past five years, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, several welfare schemes for farmers had been introduced.

"Rs 6,000 is being given to all farmers annually under the Kisan Sammaan Nidhi Scheme so that they do not have to ask for help from anyone. Farmers have also been paid 1.5 times of the cost of produce in my regime," he said.

Talking about the initiatives taken by the state government, Adityanath said, "Around 40 lakh farmers have been trained and provided knowledge of creative farming through Uttar Pradesh Farmers' School."

The chief minister said Pipraich and Munderwa sugar mills had been started for sugarcane farmers of eastern UP.

Pipraich sugar mill will have a crushing capacity of 50,000 quintals per day. It will produce fine sugar, ethanol and electricity.

"The Bansagar project was pending since 1977-78. Token money was given every year but to no use. Within one year of our government, the project was completed. With the help of the Bansagar project, arrangements have been made to irrigate 1.5 lakh hectares," he said.

For increasing the income of farmers, the chief minister said, "Along with agriculture, farmers will also have to engage themselves in animal husbandry, dairy industry, horticulture, vegetable production, poultry, fisheries and duck farming."

He termed farmers as the biggest agriculture scientists and said they should share their experiences with the state Agriculture Department so that more work can be done for their benefit.

With the help of modern techniques, farmers should grow and produce crops matching the properties of the soil, he added.