Agriculture Minister, Ramesh Tawadkar making a point after inaugurating the three-day Hilly Vegetable Festival at the Ravindra Bhavan, Margao. Santosh Mirajkar
Tawadkar's boost to coconut production
THE GOAN NETWORK
MARGAO
Agriculture Minister, Ramesh Tawadkar has said that the Coconut Development Board proposed to give a boost to the coconut production will take shape within the next two months.
Speaking after inaugurating the three-day Hilly Vegetable Festival organised by Agriculture Technology Management Agency (ATMA), South Goa, Agriculture department at Ravindra Bhavan, Margao, Tawadkar said the government is committed to give a big boost to the coconut production in the State.
“The process to set up the Coconut Development Board has been set in motion. The Board should take shape within the next two months,” he added.
Speaking at the function, Tawadkar called upon the agriculture farmers to go in for value-added products to save costs and increase their income. He said the objective behind organizing the Hilly Vegetable Festival is to give a marketing avenue for the farmers from the hinterland talukas to market their products. ‘The farmers should go in for value-added products. Farmers say that the prices of coconuts have fallen drastically in recent times. But, farmers can certainly look for a steady income from coconut if they tap the toddy and market the same as coconut juice. Similarly, the farmers can add value to the jack fruits by going in for a variety of products, which are in demand in the market,” he said.
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'People misguided on Loliem IIT project'
MARGAO: Sports Minister, Ramesh Tawadkar on Saturday has said the government would go ahead with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) project at Loliem, notwithstanding the agitation by locals against the project.
“There’s an attempt made to misguide the people on the question of IIT. This project was proposed by me and the government has decided to bring the project in Loliem. The government will try to allay the apprehensions raised in certain quarters against the project,” Tawadkar said.
When his attention was drawn to the agitation by the residents of Loliem, Tawadkar said that the peope of Loliem are of the firm opinion that no pollution industry or project should come up in the village. “Keeping this in mind, the government has proposed to set up the IIT in Loliem since it is non polluting in nature. Moreover, compared to other projects, the IIT pertains to education and will be a big boon to the people of Loliem,” he added.
