VASCO: Mormugao Municipal Council councillor has demanded with the Chief Officer to set up a Zonal Agricultural Office (ZAO) in the Mormugao Taluka.
In a letter to the Chief Officer, Shami Salkar stated that the consumer organisation GOACAN has been instrumental in pushing to start this ZAO in the Mormugao Taluka so that the farmers get benefit of the schemes and other requirements.
It may be recalled that recently Herald pursued in its special news report and did a follow up news report with regards to the proposal to set up a dedicated Krishi Ghar or Zonal Agricultural Office in the Mormugao Taluka.
The Director of Agriculture has informed that the proposal for ZAO for Mormugao has got green signal and the file is being examined.
“It was unfortunate that the farmers from the Mormugao Taluka have lost out on many agricultural schemes, incentives and training programmes organised by the Directorate of Agriculture which would have benefitted them tremendously. As for many farmers rushing to Margao every time was not possible,” Salkar added.
She mentioned that presently Vasco has only one lone field in Belabai Mestawado where too the farmers face a lot of problems. In the last 10 years, her husband former councillor Krishna Daji Salkar has been extending all necessary help to the farmers such as harvesting machines, tractor for ploughing their fields and all other necessary things required to keep up the farming activity to reduce their financial burden. With labour shortage, the cost of labourer has gone high and the farmers too face the pinch.
“The fruits of this farming activity were seen during the last lockdown when vegetables supply from the neighbouring States had stopped. The locals availed of fresh farm grown vegetables from these farmers.”
