MARGAO
Curtorim MLA Reginaldo Lourenco on Monday dashed off a letter to Chief Minister Pramod Sawant asking for hike in support price of paddy as well as vegetables cultivated and grown in Goa.
In his letter, Reginaldo said he has been given to understand that the upper limit fixed by the Directorate of Agriculture, Government of Goa is Rs 20 per kilo for variety of rice like Jyoti (Rs 12 per kg), Jaya (Rs 11 per kg), Karjat (Rs 10 per kg), etc.
“Due to the rising inflation and the high cost of cultivation of paddy, Government of Goa would do a great service to our Goan farmers if it increases the upper limit to Rs 30 per kg,” he wrote.
“Let us never ever forget that both rice and fish are the staple diet of an average Goemkar”, he added.
Similarly, he said since the Covid struck Goa in March last year many Goans, especially the youth in order to eke out their living or supplement their income besides entering into the field of cultivation of rice have also started growing vegetables which is healthy in nature and chemical-free and devoid of harmful pesticide.
“It is also the need of the hour that our State government increases the vegetable rates under horticulture to Goan farmers growing vegetables in the State of Goa. This timely effort would decrease our Goa’s dependence on imported vegetable from neighbouring States Karnataka, Maharashtra etc which by a large is given to understand is unhealthy due to its carcinogenic nature as it is neither free of chemical fertiliser nor of pesticide”, he added.
