In a country where large portions of the population are dependent on agriculture for subsistence, new methods to improve farming are only to be desired. However, a recent trend among some farmers in Uttar Pradesh's Bulandshahr has raised many eyebrows.

It appears that certain farmers in Bulandshahr have been using alcohol, allegedly in an attempt to improve potato cultivation in their fields.

An image of the same was tweeted by ANI. According to the caption, agricultural authorities have states that there is no truth to the myth that alcohol or hooch could act as 'medicine' for growing better plants.

Farmers using liquor to increase potato production in Bulandshahr. Plant Production Officer says, “There's no scientific reason behind use of alcohol as medicine for plants.I appeal to farmers to use right medicines. Farmers experiment with it to boost production, which is wrong pic.twitter.com/Bv6v4tBmZh — ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) December 23, 2018

Potato farmers in Uttar Pradesh have been facing a crisis due to dipping prices. Recently, there were protests in UP's Barabunki when farmers threw potatoes on the streets to demonstrate against the low Minimum Selling Price of their produce. Similar protests have been taking place since 2017, The Wire reported in February this year.

Barabunki farmers speaking to News18 at the time of the recent protest said that farmers were in bad condition and yet district administration had kept mum over the issue.

"The potato from Punjab is adding to our woes, government should immediately ban it also the administration should make some arrangement for storing our potato yield. Even our rice crop is not being sold on MSP declared by the government,” the farmer had said.