MARGAO: The State-level committee led by Agriculture Minister Ravi Naik has set a new deadline of March-end to finalise Goa’s agriculture policy. The 24-member Committee, in its inaugural meeting in September 2023, outlined its intentions to shape a ‘farmer-centric’ Goa State Agriculture policy with a ten-year roadmap, originally aiming for completion before Republic Day on January 26. However, subsequent meetings were not convened until the latest session. The next meeting is expected soon after the upcoming Goa Legislative Assembly session.
During the recent meeting, discussions revolved around the reports on ‘focus areas,’ which serve as the foundation for the policy document. These reports were submitted by the five sub-committees. The State-level committee had identified 35 focus areas, drawing from over 3,700 suggestions received from individuals, farmers’ groups, village panchayats, and other stakeholders.
While the meeting stressed the importance of a thorough examination and consideration of these suggestions, sources revealed that the reports from the five sub-committees assigned to study the focus areas are currently under discussion. One sub-committee’s report has already been finalized.
The Committee has highlighted key areas of focus, including agriculture and horticulture development, integrated farming, land and watershed development, khazan land, fertilizer management, agro-tourism, organic and natural farming, agriculture export, storage and warehousing, climate and environmental considerations, and the integration of agriculture into school curriculum and research.
