Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday said digital governance has transformed the loan approval process in the state, enabling farmers to avail credit within five minutes through the e-Kisan Credit Card (e-KCC) system.
Addressing the State Credit Seminar and the release of the State Focus Paper 2026-27 at Lok Bhavan here, Adityanath said earlier farmers had to wait for 25 days to a month to get loans through the Kisan Credit Card, but technology-driven reforms have drastically reduced the turnaround time.
He said the agriculture credit target for 2026-27 has been fixed at Rs 3 lakh crore, about 13 per cent higher than previous years.
The chief minister said the government and farmers are jointly exploring the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in agriculture.
Inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Union Budget has announced an AI agriculture platform and Uttar Pradesh is moving rapidly in this direction.
On the occasion, several Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) were felicitated.
Adityanath said the models presented at the seminar were inspirational for the entire state, citing the example of the Kasya Milk Producer FPO run by differently-abled persons with 1,005 members.
He also referred to a mustard production company in Mathura run by 750 women, saying value addition through processing has significantly improved their income.
The chief minister said the cooperative sector has also undergone major reforms under the vision of "Sahkar se Samriddhi", with digitisation, e-governance and transparent policies ensuring accountability.
Uttar Pradesh, he said, is the first state in the country to work with the World Bank in the agri-tech sector.
Highlighting economic indicators, Adityanath said the state has 96 lakh MSME units supporting nearly three crore families, while exports have increased from Rs 84,000 crore to Rs 1.86 lakh crore after branding products under the One District One Product (ODOP) scheme.
He said the state's credit-deposit ratio has increased from 43 per cent to 61 per cent over the past nine years and the target is to raise it to 62 per cent by March 31 and 65 per cent in 2026-27.
Adityanath said Uttar Pradesh has taken concrete steps to empower small and marginal farmers by providing loans at interest rates of 5 to 6 per cent, with the government bearing the remaining burden.
The easy credit would encourage investment in farming, adoption of technology and growth in farmers' income, he said.
Highlighting that 86 per cent of the state's land is irrigated, he said free electricity is being provided to 16 lakh tubewells, canal irrigation is free and over one lakh farmers have been given solar panels.
The chief minister said Uttar Pradesh has emerged as a major contributor to the national economy, with its gross state domestic product expected to reach Rs 36 lakh crore by March 31.
Adityanath said that state per capita income has increased from Rs 43,000 in 2016 to Rs 1.20 lakh, while the fiscal deficit remains below three per cent.
He also highlighted that the state accounts for 21 per cent of the country's foodgrain production despite having only 11 per cent of cultivable land, and ranks first in ethanol and sugar production.
He said coordinated efforts in training and credit by banks, NABARD and financial institutions would significantly accelerate employment generation, income growth and self-reliance in the state.
Addressing the State Credit Seminar and the release of the State Focus Paper 2026-27 at Lok Bhavan here, Adityanath said earlier farmers had to wait for 25 days to a month to get loans through the Kisan Credit Card, but technology-driven reforms have drastically reduced the turnaround time.
He said the agriculture credit target for 2026-27 has been fixed at Rs 3 lakh crore, about 13 per cent higher than previous years.
The chief minister said the government and farmers are jointly exploring the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in agriculture.
Inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Union Budget has announced an AI agriculture platform and Uttar Pradesh is moving rapidly in this direction.
On the occasion, several Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) were felicitated.
Adityanath said the models presented at the seminar were inspirational for the entire state, citing the example of the Kasya Milk Producer FPO run by differently-abled persons with 1,005 members.
He also referred to a mustard production company in Mathura run by 750 women, saying value addition through processing has significantly improved their income.
The chief minister said the cooperative sector has also undergone major reforms under the vision of "Sahkar se Samriddhi", with digitisation, e-governance and transparent policies ensuring accountability.
Uttar Pradesh, he said, is the first state in the country to work with the World Bank in the agri-tech sector.
Highlighting economic indicators, Adityanath said the state has 96 lakh MSME units supporting nearly three crore families, while exports have increased from Rs 84,000 crore to Rs 1.86 lakh crore after branding products under the One District One Product (ODOP) scheme.
He said the state's credit-deposit ratio has increased from 43 per cent to 61 per cent over the past nine years and the target is to raise it to 62 per cent by March 31 and 65 per cent in 2026-27.
Adityanath said Uttar Pradesh has taken concrete steps to empower small and marginal farmers by providing loans at interest rates of 5 to 6 per cent, with the government bearing the remaining burden.
The easy credit would encourage investment in farming, adoption of technology and growth in farmers' income, he said.
Highlighting that 86 per cent of the state's land is irrigated, he said free electricity is being provided to 16 lakh tubewells, canal irrigation is free and over one lakh farmers have been given solar panels.
The chief minister said Uttar Pradesh has emerged as a major contributor to the national economy, with its gross state domestic product expected to reach Rs 36 lakh crore by March 31.
Adityanath said that state per capita income has increased from Rs 43,000 in 2016 to Rs 1.20 lakh, while the fiscal deficit remains below three per cent.
He also highlighted that the state accounts for 21 per cent of the country's foodgrain production despite having only 11 per cent of cultivable land, and ranks first in ethanol and sugar production.
He said coordinated efforts in training and credit by banks, NABARD and financial institutions would significantly accelerate employment generation, income growth and self-reliance in the state.
