UPSAC Board Meeting Sets New Agenda for Uttar Pradesh Farming

At its first board meeting since being re-formed, the Uttar Pradesh State Agricultural Council (UPSAC) established a new framework for improving agricultural production and revenues, and emphasises the importance of turning scale into value and growth into sustainability.

The meeting was held at the CSIR-National Botanical Research Institute in Lucknow. Topics discussed included Seed Quality Systems, Water-Use Efficiency, and Improving Soil Health. Issues related to Access to Finance and Post-Harvest Management were also addressed.

As part of the Indian Chamber of Food and Agriculture, the Council has a new focus. Its objective is to develop an action-oriented platform for implementing policy and facilitating measurable impacts. The aim is to generate real, tangible benefits for farmers in the State of Uttar Pradesh.

According to the Chairman of UPSAC, Ghanshyam Khandelwal, Uttar Pradesh is the centre of Indian Agriculture, and he sees the Council as both a policy think tank and a convergence point for multiple stakeholders. He believed one of the goals of the Council is to drive investment, innovation, and increase agricultural exports from Uttar Pradesh.

The meeting discussed how to improve farmer success and income sustainability by using evidence-based interventions and replicating proven models. The meeting acknowledged research institutes as key partners of innovation and knowledge sharing.

The priorities for implementation included using technology-led interventions to provide farmers with the tools needed to scale success stories across the State. The emergence of agri-tech platforms is seen as key enabler to achieving future successes.

The Board Meeting was also a pre-inaugural event for the Global Agroworld event taking place in late February 2026 in Uttar Pradesh to encourage further use of agri-tech, and build investment partnerships for the Agri Industry.

During the two-day meeting, delegates had the opportunity to meet with Deputy Chief Minister (DCM) of Uttar Pradesh and discuss the need for state support for the Global Agroworld event. Delegates also met with Minister for Agriculture in Uttar Pradesh to discuss their initiatives with the Council.

The group highlighted the importance of creating connections between farmers and the marketplaces, and improving all the methods used for the storage and processing of goods after farming is complete, and assisting farmers to add value to their crops, as this was deemed necessary for allowing farmers to achieve long term increased income.

The BL Agro Group is the main player in these activities. They operate across all areas within the agriculture sector including; making processed foods; using technology to improve agriculture; and using genetic manipulation to improve crop production. The work of the council is in line with the collaboration between industry and academia to assist farmers in developing their farms and ultimately achieving profits as a result.

The work of the council comes at a time when Uttar Pradesh is the biggest contributor to India's agricultural output. Thus, the new regulations and focus areas will help unlock new markets and drive increased growth in the agriculture industry, with the overall goal of building a more prosperous and resilient future for the agricultural sector.