Farmers can ask
for training prog
as per their needs
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blurb:
Members of this committee will be trained by SAMETI and ATMA and they, in turn, will impact training to farmers. In fact, farmers, depending upon their requirements, can approach their block officers and ask for training programmes
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The Goan Network
PANAJI
The state government today launched two institutes in Goa, SAMETI and ATMA. SAMETI stands for State Agricultural Management & Extension Training Institute “ Goa and ATMA stands for Agricultural Technology Management Agency. Through these institutes, the department of agriculture will work with allied bodies like department of fisheries, department of diary services and department of animal husbandry. A committee of people from all these departments will be formed, which will be notified by the state government.
Members of this committee will be trained by SAMETI and ATMA and they, in turn, will impact training to farmers. In fact, farmers, depending upon their requirements, can approach their block officers and ask for training programmes. This way, the farmers will have more say in management of agriculture than the state government.
Apparently, all other states of India already have SAMETI and ATMA but Goa had to wait this long for these institutes. Efforts were made earlier too as ATMA was launched in 2005, but had to stop functioning.
Till now, the state government’s approach towards agriculture has been to give subsidies to people. But, that hasn’t made it a profitable enterprise and as a result people, in vast numbers, have moved away from agriculture in Goa. Through SAMETI and ATMA, efforts will be made towards imparting technical know-how to farmers to make agriculture a profitable business so that more people turn towards this sector.
The agriculture minister Ramesh Tawadkar, the director of agriculture U.B. PaiKakode, the secretary (agriculture) to Goa government Manoj Kumar Sahoo launched the two institutes from Krishi Bhavan in Tonca, Panaji.
