Lucknow, January 17: Stating strawberry cultivation will be nothing short of a miracle for Bundelkhand, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday said that this initiative of the farmers will go too far to give a new identity to the region.

The CM, who virtually inaugurated the month-long Strawberry Festival of Jhansi, said “the diligent farmers of this region have broken the image of the Bundelkhand, considered to have infertile land in the past. This endeavour has given ey have a new message and personally I feel that the region has everything”.

Like Jhansi, products of other districts of the state also have their unique identity and such festivals can help in giving them a new platform, the CM said adding that the Kala Namak of Sidhharthnagar, the black rice of Chandauli, the guavas of Prayagraj and Kaushambi are to name a few. COVID-19 Vaccination Drive in Uttar Padesh: CM Yogi Adityanath Urges People To Wait for Their Turn To Get Vaccinated, Beware of Rumours.

“There is a general belief that the soil of the Bundelkhand region is not suitable for such fruits. Strawberry could well prove to be an additional mode of earning for the farmers of the region. The region has an ample amount of surface water and by using techniques like drip and sprinkle farming for irrigation, farmers can definitely reduce the input cost,” the CM said.

He said that both the Central and the state government had been facilitating the farmers from seeds to markets. “During the corona pandemic, while the government ensured that all the 119 sugar mills do not stop production, the farmers also maintained the supply of sugarcane. We (government) are committed to each and every cause of the farmers.”

CM Yogi also advised the agriculture and the horticulture departments to organise such festivals in other districts also so that their products get a platform. Yogi Adityanath Scripting Story of Uttar Pradesh's Change, Loans to MSMEs Worth Rs 2,12,454 Crore Given.

The government has also been trying to create new facilities for irrigation. The Bansagar project, which was pending since 1977, has been completed and the Madhya Ganga Project, Saryu Nahar Rashtriya Pariyojana and the Arjun Sahayak Pariyojana will be completed this year, he asserted.

“Workshops will also be organised during the festival to encourage farmers opt for strawberries also. A work plan is also been made to encourage strawberry farming in Jhansi and other districts of the region. The district administration will also be providing strawberry plants to the people,” said Andra Vamsi, the district administrate of Jhansi.