Defending Centre's farm laws, UP CM cites examples of contract farming in Ballia & Chandauli

The contract is done at the time the carrot seeds are sown, and then he buys the carrot, the CM said.Adityanath also referred to kheer sweet dish made using black rice of Chandauli.Farmers in Chandauli have started cultivating black rice.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday cited the 'kala gajar ka halwa' made in Ballia district to explain the benefits of the Centre's new farm laws.

Wrapping up the discussion on the Governor's address in the UP Legislative Council, Adityanath said, ''One of the legislators from Ballia informed me that in the assembly constituency of Leader of Opposition in UP Assembly Ram Govind Chaudhary (Bansdih in Ballia), contract farming is taking place. A sweet maker Ramratan, who is famous for his 'kala gajar ka halwa' for the past few decades, enters into contract with farmers for carrots (used in the halwa).'' He added that the farmers grow carrots under the contract. ''The contract is done at the time the carrot seeds are sown, and then he buys the carrot,'' the CM said.

Adityanath also referred to 'kheer' (sweet dish) made using black rice of Chandauli.

''Farmers in Chandauli have started cultivating black rice. It has the maximum protein content among rice and is a soft variety of rice. It is a brand of UP. Shatrudra Prakash (SP MLC) had once asked me whether I had tasted the kheer made using black rice,'' Adityanath said, while adding that he had asked a party worker during a visit to Varanasi and got to savour that 'kheer'.

He termed it ''sad'' and ''surprising'' that efforts were being made by the opposition to mislead the farmers about the farm laws.