Team Herald

PANJIM: The State Government has introduced financial assistance scheme to promote community farming to tackle the problem of lands being kept fallow. An infrastructure assistance varying between Rs 1.50 lakh and Rs 3 lakh per hectare will be provided to promote group farming.

The scheme called “Assistance for Community Farming, 2018” to ensure a greener Goa and to make agricultural activity more viable due to better economics of scale for cultivation and more efficient marketing of produce is being launched by Directorate of Agriculture. 

The scheme gives recognition to two types of group farming -- Joint community farming and loosely amalgamated community farming. In the Joint community farming the entire area of all the members together shall be cultivated as one block in the name of the group that is all expenditure for creating infrastructure like onetime costs and cultivation costs (recurring expenses) shall be in the name of the group. The produce also shall be sold in the name of the group and the proceeds are proportionately shared among farmer members as per terms and conditions agreed at the time of group formation. 

In case of Loosely Amalgamated Community Farming, the permanent costs on infrastructure such as fencing, wells pump sets, compost preparation units, etc, shall be borne in the name of the group. However, recurring expenses for cultivation shall be borne by members separately and the produce sold in each individual member’s name.

The Community Farming Group (CFG) should have a Krishi Card in its name. The group should have a minimum of 10 members with total combined land holding exceeding one hectare (10000 sq. mtrs) in a compact block. The CFG has to be registered with the Directorate of Agriculture. 

CFG will have to submit a project report listing various agricultural infrastructure facilities proposed to be developed, crops to be grown, marketing plans, etc, which will be evaluated by the District Agriculture Officer and placed before the High Powered Committee headed by Minister Agriculture.

“Assistance of 100 per cent in case CFG wherein 50 per cent or more of the area brought under cultivation has been fallow for more than five years or 90 per cent in other cases,” the scheme stated. The infrastructure assistance per hectare (Ha) of Rs three lakhs for area of 1 ha-2 ha, Rs 2.50 per ha lakhs in case of area between 2.01 ha and 5 ha, Rs 2.25 lakhs for area between 5.01 ha and 10 ha, Rs 2 lakhs for 10.01 ha and 20 ha and Rs 1.50 lakh above 20 ha, will be made available to the groups.