Union Minister for Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare and Rural Development Shivraj Singh Chouhan held a high-level review meeting with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in Lucknow on June 25, 2026, to discuss the state's agriculture and rural development scenario. During the meeting, Chouhan formally handed over two key approval letters to the Chief Minister.
The first approval extends the Minimum Support Price (MSP) procurement period for wheat, gram, and masoor under the Rabi Marketing Season 2026–27 from June 24 to July 8, 2026. This extension, granted in response to the Uttar Pradesh government's request, aims to ensure no farmer is deprived of selling produce at MSP due to practical difficulties such as weather conditions, delayed arrivals, weighing issues, or mandi congestion. The decision is expected to benefit lakhs of wheat, gram, and masoor growers in Uttar Pradesh and prevent distress sales at below-MSP prices.
The second approval sanctions 6,18,482 pucca houses for Uttar Pradesh under the new phase of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana - Gramin (PMAY-G) for 2024–25 to 2028–29. This allocation is part of the Centre's broader aim to construct an additional two crore pucca houses across the country during this period. The survey of rural households in Uttar Pradesh has been completed, with eligible poor families living in kutcha houses identified. The next phase focuses on providing priority housing to these families with emphasis on timely construction, quality control, and technology-based monitoring.
Chouhan described Uttar Pradesh as India's leading agricultural state, contributing approximately 38% of the country's wheat production. Noting visible signs of El Niño and below-normal rainfall with further shortfall likely, the meeting decided to prepare district-wise contingency plans promoting short-duration and low-water-requirement crops. Alternative crop lists will be prepared based on local water availability, soil conditions, and existing cropping patterns. A scientific agricultural roadmap for Uttar Pradesh was discussed, integrating crop patterns, irrigation, water conservation, seeds, technology, and marketing strategies to address challenges of climate change, rising temperatures, and declining groundwater levels.
The meeting was attended by Deputy Chief Minister and Rural Development Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya, Agriculture Minister Surya Pratap Shahi, Minister of State for Agriculture Baldev Singh Aulakh, and Minister of State for Revenue Surendra Diler, along with senior officials from both Union and Uttar Pradesh departments who gave presentations on scheme progress and ground situation.