PANAJI
In a recent visit to Goa, a team of nine MPs discussed and studied research and development on agriculture, animal husbandry and fisheries.
The team headed by Parvatagouda Gaddigoudar along with officers of Lok Sabha secretariat and ADGs (Assistant Director General) of ICAR (Indian Council of Agricultural Research) headquarters visited Goa last week. The team met the scientists and progressive farmers and suggested various measures of improving crop production. The team also suggested working on getting Geographical Indicator (GI) tagging of Mankurad variety of mangoes that are local to the State of Goa.
The team visited experimental fields including coconut-based cropping systems, coconut-heliconia, mango germplasm block of ICAR-CCARI (Central Coastal Agricultural Research Institute), Ela Old Goa. The team also visited the exhibition stalls arranged on the campus and was acquainted with various technologies of the institute and the extension activities of Krishi Vigyan Kendra of North Goa. The members interacted with the scientists and few progressive farmers during the visit. Dr Parveen Kumar, director ICAR-CCARI presented the overview of the institute and its achievements in the form of improved varieties and other technologies and their impact on sustainable livelihoods.
The team appreciated the work carried out at the institute and made suggestions to fine-tune the research. The team interacted with scientists on ways to promote economic returns in coconut by intercropping practices. The members suggested the easy harvest and spraying operations of coconuts by the latest drone-based techniques. The team emphasized the need for enhancing the paddy productivity of Goa state with the help of improved varieties. The committee suggested focusing the efforts of the scientists to improve the agriculture and allied sectors with the target to double the income of the farmers of the coastal region.
