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U.P. Govt. forms new farm policy

Bid to meet WTO challenges

Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh Government on Thursday endorsed a new Agriculture Policy to deal with the `onslaught' of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) regime.

The policy was endorsed at a meeting of the state cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav here.

Under the new policy, the Government would strive for diversification of crops and ensure better quality control to deal with international competition in the light of the WTO regime, official sources said.

The new agriculture policy would also find out ways for better marketing of agricultural produce to help farmers compete in the global agro market place.

Cutting of production costs would also be stressed on to increase the income of the farming community. Sources claimed that farmers would be encouraged to diversify their crops. "A farmer can grow flowers or other cash crop besides the regular produce. This can help him generate more income vis-a-vis experience the new dimension of agriculture," a senior government officer added.

Meanwhile, the agriculture department refuted reports that U.P. was facing a shortage of seeds and urea. Blaming the Central government for delaying the imports of phosphoric acid, sources claimed that as compared to the last fiscal, U.P. provided for more urea of various types to the farmers this year.

While last year a total of 30 lakh MT of urea was provided to farmers, this year the target has been set at 46 lakh MT. Thirty-eight lakh MT of urea has already been supplied.

In another major decision the Mulayam Singh government also approved setting up of a Cabinet Committee to draw a Women's Policy as part of the National Women's Empowerment Policy, 2001. The State has 7.86 crore women while the total population of the State stands at 16.6 crores.

In a major bonanza for State legislators, the State Government increased their per month fuel allowance from Rs 5000 to Rs 8000.

Now the state legislators can also use the Rs 6000 they get for telephone reimbursement towards cell phone usage. The State government clarified that while no extra money had been accorded, legislators would be free to distribute the amount for land line and cell phone usage. -- UNI

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U.P. Govt. forms new farm policy

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