Madhaipurwa/Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh
In the cooperative committee category, the first prize will be given to Sahkaari Ganna Samiti Khatauli (Cooperative Cane Committee Khatauli) from Muzaffarnagar whereas in the sugar mill category, Ayodhya’s Raujagaon Sugar Mill has won the first prize.
Situated at a distance of 130 kms from Uttar Pradesh capital Lucknow, Lakhimpur Kheri district is known as the ‘sugar bowl of India’ for its high cultivation of sugarcane.
Award winning Achal Mishra cultivates cane in his 25 hectares of land and has a reputation for practicing diversified farming techniques and experiments.
“Our primary crop is sugarcane but I also grow 15-16 varieties of other crops in a mixed farming technique. We sow the cane by employing trench farming technique. I grow paddy, wheat, capsicum, broccoli, turmeric, mustard, garlic, onion, ginger and other vegetables along with sugarcane. I experiment with crops and learn new ways to maximise yield, Mishra who lives in Bijua block’s Madhaipurwa told Gaon Connection.
With an aim to appreciate progressive farmers practising integrated farming techniques and cultivating better yields of sugarcane in the state, the Uttar Pradesh government has decided to award seven such farmers.
The awards were announced by Secretary of the Sugar Industry & Cane Development Department Sanjay Bhoosreddy on March 26. The winners will receive their awards from the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
The first prize in the award — ‘Utkrisht Ekikrat Krishi Puraskaar — will be awarded to Lakhimpur Kheri’s Achal Mishra for his achievement in mixed farming, bee-keeping (apiculture), farming of medicinal plants, along with the cultivation of sugarcane in his field. He will receive a prize money worth Rs 51,000.
The second prize worth Rs 31,000 is announced for Bulandshahr’s Girish Kumar Singh, third prize (Rs 21,000) will be given to three farmers jointly — Narendra Bahadur Singh from Azamgarh, Anil Kumar from Kushinagar, and Ayodhya Prasad from Shahjahanpur.
Also, Rajendri Devi from the Lakhimpur Kheri district will be awarded the state level cane production award for cultivation of record yield — 2,400 quintals of cane in a hectare of land.
She will share the award with Baghpat district’s Shreecharan Singh who cultivated 1,809 quintals of sugarcane in a hectare of land.
