Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath emphasised on Friday that Shree Anna, which has its significance since the Vedic era, has the potential to combat food crisis in the future and Uttar Pradesh has the potential to emerge as a hub for Shree Anna production.

Inaugurating the state level Shree Anna Mahotsav, exhibition and workshop at Indira Gandhi Pratishthan, the chief minister said that the COVID-19 period had imparted a significant lesson: the more we embrace an artificial lifestyle, the more susceptible we become to epidemics.

“We must adopt a natural habitat and lifestyle, and Shree Anna will be very helpful in this regard. There is a need for research and investigation to increase its productivity,” Yogi said.

The chief minister also visited the exhibition organised by Shree Anna producers from all over the state. Shree Anna Mahotsav will be organised for three days.

The chief minister further said, “Three-day Shree Anna Mahotsav is being organised on the occasion of the 34th Foundation Day of the Uttar Pradesh Agricultural Research Council, which is working for research and development in the field of agriculture. This festival will become a medium of comprehensive change in the lives of the farmers of UP.”

The chief minister noted that till the sixth and seventh decades of the last century, coarse grains were produced in large quantities. “This was part of our daily lives. However, due to population growth and a slowdown in research and development, the production of Shree Anna decreased,” he pointed out.

He also pointed out that while India has made great strides in achieving food self-sufficiency, it has faced adverse consequences, such as increased diseases resulting from excessive use of chemical fertilisers. He stated that these grains are produced even in areas with less water. “We need large-scale research and investigation in this direction to increase its production,” he added.

The chief minister expressed his delight at the widespread adoption of Shree Anna in various forms within every household. “Substantial efforts have been initiated in this regard, leading to the creation of innovative products from millets. Not only are these products nutritious, they also offer a delightful culinary experience,” he said.

Highlighting the transformation of Krishi Vigyan Kendras, the chief minister remarked, “Until 2017, the condition of these centres was bad. Today, a new spirit of competition has ignited among them. Agricultural universities play a crucial role in this positive change. Intensive efforts are underway to deliver high-quality seeds from the finest research institutions to benefit the state’s three crore farmers.”

Additionally, he asked officials to establish labs in every Krishi Vigyan Kendra and agricultural university for the certification of organic products. Chief Minister Yogi said that the government was promoting natural farming, and ‘gauvansh’ could play a significant role in it.

On this occasion, the chief minister honoured 35 farmer producer organisations working in the area of Shree Anna. Apart from this, assistance of Rs 95 lakh each was provided to five Krishi Vigyan Kendras of the state (Jhansi, Lalitpur, Banda, Hamirpur and Ghazipur) for millet processing plants. Besides, the farmer producer organisations that trained and encouraged a large number of farmers for millet farming were also honoured by the chief minister.

State Agriculture Minister Surya Pratap Shahi, MSME Minister Rakesh Sachan, Minister of State for Agriculture Baldev Singh Aulakh, UP Agricultural Research Council Chairman Captain Vikas Gupta, Agriculture Production Commissioner Manoj Kumar Singh, Sanjay Aggarwal, Dr Devesh Chaturvedi, and vice-chancellors of agricultural universities were present. Apart from the in-charges of farmer producer organisations and Krishi Vigyan Kendras who came from various districts of the state and a large number of progressive farmers were also present.