PANAJI
Agriculture Minister Ravi Naik has said he has moved a proposal to set up a Coconut Corporation to harness the economic value of the commonly grown palm in the State and also ensure that growers can be assisted to cut their losses.
Naik, who was speaking to the media after a hands-on farming training programme for youth conducted by the Agriculture department, said the proposal is being vetted by the Law Department and he expects it to be cleared very soon.
The minister said the main objective of setting up the corporation is to boost the State's agro economy and to also economically harness the common practice in Goa of developing coconut groves.
The coconut crop in recent years has faced difficulties owing to falling yields and lack of interest among locals in the coconut plucking and toddy-tapping professions once a widely practiced trade.
Naik said, the Corporation with funds from the Centre and partly from the State will also play the role of cushioning the losses faced by farmers due to disease affecting the palms and other natural causes.
