Uttar Pradesh: Agriculture and animal husbandry

Uttar Pradesh is an important agricultural state: agriculture and allied activities made up 22.94% of its Gross State Value Added (GSVA) in 2020-21. It is the largest sugarcane-producing state and, as per the Livestock Census of 2019, has the largest livestock population in the country. More than 90% of its farmers are small and marginal farmers.

Crops and Production

• GSVA: Agriculture and allied GSVA at constant (2011-12) prices in 2020-21 was estimated at Rs. 2,24,69,159 lakh.
• Foodgrains: In 2020-21 the state produced 58.32 MT of foodgrains, the highest in the country. Main food grains are rice, wheat, maize, millet, gram, pea and lentils.
• Wheat belt: Meerut, Bulandshahr, Saharanpur, Agra, Aligarh, Muzaffarnagar, Moradabad, Etawah, Kanpur, Farrukhabad and Fatehpur.
• Rice belt: the Terai region and districts such as Pilibhit, Maharajganj, Deoria, Gonda, Bahraich, Basti and Gorakhpur.
• Agro-climatic zones: 9, including Bhawar and Tarai, Western Plain, Central Plain, Bundelkhand and Vindhyan.
• Landholdings: about 2.38 crore operational holdings in 2015-16, of which 80% were marginal.
• Targets for 2026-27: foodgrain production 753.55 lakh metric tonnes; oilseeds 48.18 lakh metric tonnes.

Sugarcane

• UP accounted for 44.50% of national sugarcane production in 2020-21 and is the second-largest producer of sugar. Muzaffarnagar is the largest sugarcane-producing district.
• In the 2024-25 crushing season, 47 lakh farmers grew sugarcane on 29.51 lakh hectares; 122 sugar mills produced 92 lakh 45 thousand tons of sugar.
• Crushing capacity is 8.58 lakh tons per day. New mills came up at Pipraich, Munderwan and Ramala, and more than 44 mills were modernised.
• Cane price payments of over Rs. 3,04,321 crore have been made, Rs. 90,802 crore more than the combined Rs. 2,13,519 crore of the previous 22 years.
• For the 2025-26 crushing season the cane price was raised by 30 per quintal, an extra payment of about Rs. 3,000 crore.

Horticulture

• Area under horticulture rose from 16,73,386 hectares (2014-15) to 18,80,220 hectares (2019-20).
• UP recorded the highest horticultural production in the country in 2018-19 at 387.47 lakh tonnes.
• In 2017-18, UP produced 15% of India's vegetables (the highest) and was the third largest fruit producer; in the next year it gave 28% of India's potatoes.

Procurement, Loans and Insurance (2025-26)

• Wheat (Rabi Marketing Year 2025-26): 10.27 lakh metric tonnes bought, Rs. 2,512 crore paid.
• Paddy (Kharif Marketing Year 2025-26): 42.96 lakh metric tonnes, Rs. 9,710 crore paid.
• Millet: 2.14 lakh metric tonnes from 54,253 farmers, Rs. 595 crore paid.
• Free electricity for tube-well irrigation since 1 April 2023.
• Short-term crop loans: Rs. 10,257 crore to 15.01 lakh farmers up to 19 December 2025.
• PM Fasal Bima Yojana: about 62 lakh farmers got Rs. 5,110 crore in compensation from 2017-18 to 2024-25.
• PM Kisan Samman Nidhi: about Rs. 94,668 crore sent by DBT to 3.12 crore farmers in 2025-26 (up to December 2025).

Livestock, Dairy and Fisheries

• UP ranks highest in milk (16.3% of national output) and meat (15.1%) production, and has the highest buffalo population.
• Native cattle breeds: Gangatiri, Hariana, Kenkatha, Kherigarh, Mewati and Ponwar; crossbreeds: Holstein Friesian and Jersey.
• Cow shelters: 12,38,547 cattle are kept in 7,497 shelters; 155 large cow conservation centres are under construction.
• Dairy: run through 19 dairy unions in the cooperative sector.
• Fisheries: 4.32 lakh ha of inland fisheries resources; Hardoi has the largest water spread area (about 6,666.29 hectares), followed by Balrampur.

Budget 2026-27 Provisions

• Agriculture sector: about Rs. 10,888 crore, 20 percent higher than 2025-26.
• Horticulture and food processing: Rs. 2,832 crore, 7% higher than 2025-26.
• Solar pumps in place of diesel pump sets: Rs. 637 crore and 84 lakh.
• Power to private tube wells: Rs. 2,400 crore; National Mission on Natural Farming: Rs. 298 crore.
• Seed Park Vikas Pariyojana under the Uttar Pradesh Beej Swavalamban Niti 2024: Rs. 251 crore.
• Stray cattle maintenance: Rs. 2,000 crore; Animal Disease Control Programme: Rs. 253 crore.
• Interest Subvention Scheme (co-operation): Rs. 525 crore.