MARGAO: For almost a decade Goa’s state agriculture policy has not been formed. And for quite a few years, even the committee to formulate Goa’s agriculture policy, formed in 2012, following the resignation of then Chairman Adv Narendra Sawaikar has been non-functional till very recently, for an interesting reason. No Chairperson has been appointed.
The delay is explicable since the draft policy itself states that this “vital agriculture sector is confronted with various setbacks and limitations and is passing through a difficult phase.”
If you enjoyed reading this article, you can help support our journalism by adding OHeraldo as a preferred source.
It also stated that the “process of development initiated by the government to facilitate industrialisation, housing, and tourism has brought tremendous pressure on agricultural land.”
A new committee headed by Agriculture Minister Ravi Naik has been formed but the committee is yet to meet and discuss the already-prepared draft of the agriculture policy.
The hard facts give the Agriculture Department no room for excuses, yet it doesn’t have a reason why the policy has been in cold storage for ten years.
Nevil Afonso, Director of Agriculture admitted that there were not many moves following Adv Sawaikar’s resignation as Chairman.
“However, recently we have again constituted the new committee under the Agriculture Minister Ravi Naik. A draft prepared by the committee will be placed before the new committee. Plus-minus will be done as per the suggestions of the members of the new committee,” he said.
Speaking to O Heraldo, several farmers accused the government of displaying less seriousness towards the agricultural policy as they (farmers) and those involved in the agricultural sector continue to undergo hardships.
“Keeping in mind the prevailing situation in the agriculture sector, the state policy is the need of the hour, as the farmers at lower levels continue to face tough times in taking forward the farming activities,” said Joe Cotta, President of Betalbatim Farmers’ Club.
Many farmers feel that they are deprived of schemes with no agriculture policy in place.
In 2012, the then government constituted a committee of 40 members headed by Adv Narendra Sawaikar. The committee did deliberate on the issues pertaining to agriculture and prepared a draft, but the government did not go beyond that.
In 2021, then agriculture minister Babu Kavlekar claimed that the subsidies of the Agriculture Department are not reaching the farmers properly, and they are finding it difficult to avail the maximum benefits of the schemes. “Only agriculture policy and implementation in true spirit will help the farmers of Goa,” he added.
Judas Quadros, a farmer from Raia demanded that the government finalise the policy and implement it at the earliest.
“The young generation has no much respect for agriculture and hence we need a policy that will also attract more and more youth to take up agriculture,” he stated.
J Santano Rodrigues, another farmer from Curtorim, said that there are only announcements and talks, but nothing on the ground.
“The failure of the government to approve the draft shows how much it is concerned towards the agriculture sector,” he charged.
Agriculture Director Nevil Afonso states the obvious when he says that once the draft is finalised, it will be placed before the government for approval. For ten years farmers have been waiting for this to happen.
Even now, nobody’s hazarding a guess when. After a decade, no one is even willing to try.
