Rs 48 cr spent on bundh repairs and related interventions to support farming: CM
PANAJI
The government is serious about reviving agriculture across Goa’s khazan lands and is working on a comprehensive plan for it, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said in the Goa Legislative Assembly on Friday.
Intervening in the discussion on the demands for grants pertaining to agriculture, civil supplies and handicrafts departments, Sawant said the department spent nearly Rs 48 crore on repairing bundhs and other interventions to support farmers cultivating these khazans across the State.
The demands were later passed by a voice vote.
Sawant also said that large scale mechanisation of farm operations is the way forward for agriculture. He especially mentioned the role of Goa’s ‘paddy man’ Fr George Quadros in this mechanisation of farming in the State.
“Nearly 40 lakh square metres of land is being cultivated through mechanised farming,” Sawant said, adding that Quadros has trained several youth who have now bought machinery and have themselves become service providers empanelled by the department. “Right from ploughing to sowing and then harvesting, all operations are mechanised,” Sawant said.
The chief minister also praised the efforts of Agriculture Minister Ravi Naik and Horticulture Corporation chairman Premendra Shet, for their efforts which earned Goa the Horticulture award.
He said, import of vegetables from Belagavi had dropped by nearly 40% and some produce like chilli was also being exported from Goa now.
Earlier, participating in the discussion on the demands, Aldona MLA Carlos Alvares Ferreira said one of the biggest issues plaguing farming in Khazans is the awful maintenance of bundhs because of which saline water enters the fields and destroys the soil and crops.
Ferreira said the Agriculture department’s soil conservation division should plan in advance the upkeep of the notified bundhs and also make adequate financial provisions for it. “Normally, proposals for repair of bundhs take a circuitous route through the bureaucracy in the department and when they are actually cleared, the funds are not available,” Ferreira said, adding that such faux pas should be avoided.
Ferreira also expressed the need for the department to hand-hold farmers clubs in all the agriculture villages.
Fatorda MLA, Vijai Sardesai made a case for a fusion of agriculture with tourism.
“Why permit shacks only on beaches? Why not allow them in agricultural fields,” Sardesai asked. He added that if Goa remains green with vast expanses of agricultural fields, it will be an attraction for more tourists to come. “Wherever agriculture has embraced eco-tourism, it has thrived,” Sardesai said and urged the government to seriously examine the model.
Benaulim MLA, Venzy Viegas flagged the indiscriminate conversion of paddy fields by the TCP department and questioned how it was happening despite a clear cut bar on it mentioned in the Agriculture Policy.
Siolim MLA Delilah Lobo made a case for enhanced quantum of subsidies under the various schemes in the agriculture sector. Lobo in particular pin-pointed the farm fencing subsidy saying although it is claimed that it is 75 per cent of the cost, in reality it works to less than 50 per cent of what a farmer actually spends to fence his farming area.
Lobo also demanded that the department ensure that the subsidy be paid upfront since farmers cannot afford to pay for the fencing first and then wait for the subsidy amount to come into his account.
Several ruling party MLAs, including Ganesh Gaonkar, Deviya Rane, Dr Chandrakant Shetye, Sankalp Amonkar, Delilah Lobo, Kedar Naik and Premendra Shet hailed the Agriculture Minister Ravi Naik and the government for officially announcing the ‘Amritkal Agriculture Policy’ but advised speedy implementation.
