• Agriculture and allied activities are a predominant sector in Uttar Pradesh contributing 23% to the state’s GSDP in 2014-15.
• Uttar Pradesh is the 3rd largest economy contributing 8% to India’s GDP5. The state has one of the highest consumer bases with 16.5% of India’s population.
• The state is also one of the major producers of horticultural crops and food grains in India which serves as a lucrative base for the food processing industry.

The key production statistics for the state (the year 2015-16) are presented below:

Wheat, Rice, Barley, Bajra, and Sugarcane are the major crops produced in Uttar Pradesh. The state is also, the largest producer of fruits (Mango, Gooseberry, Banana, Guava, Muskmelon, and Watermelon); and vegetables (Potato, Peas, Pumpkin, Pointed gourd, Carrot, and Bottle gourd). At 68.7 mn, Uttar Pradesh has the largest livestock population in India leading to the state is the largest producer of milk in the country.

Production Cluster of the State: -

As per the Annual Survey of Industries, 2014-15, there are 2,055 registered food processing industry units (FPIs) in the state. As per another study conducted by the National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship and Management for Uttar Pradesh in 2012-13, there are a total of 0.35mn FPIs in the state.

Agricultural markets in Uttar-Pradesh:

• 250 Regulated markets
• 225 Rural markets
• 170 Farmer Producer Organizations
• 238 Rural godowns
• 100 mandis Registered with eNAM 364 submarkets

Some of the major processing clusters in the state include:

• Uttar Pradesh is the second-largest sugar-producing among states in India
• Uttar Pradesh is recognized as a major milk-producing state in India
• The dairy sector of the state is anticipated to show enormous growth after the incorporation of the National Dairy Plan (NDP). National Dairy Plan has been introduced in eight districts of Uttar Pradesh namely Meerut, Ambedkar Nagar, Lucknow, Bijnore, Gonda, Farrukhabad, Barabanki, and Faizabad. The plan will encourage the state to introduce scientific measures to increase milk production
• Uttar Pradesh is one of the most preferred states in the country due to the presence of a bouquet of tourist destinations in the state
• The state has tremendous potential to increase its biomass energy production in 97,589 villages. the state is the largest producer of sugarcane and the second-largest producer of rice in India, the by-product bagasse and rice husk form the abundant raw material base for power production
• The largest producer of food grains with a total production of 44,011 thousand tonnes- Rank 1 in production of Wheat; Rank 2 in production of Rice, Bajra, Barley
• The largest producer of fruits with a total production of 10,296.14 thousand tonnes- Rank 1 in production of Mango, Gooseberry (aonla), Muskmelon and Watermelon; Rank 2 in production of Guava; Rank 4 in production of Banana