PANJIM: The Organic Agriculture University, as proposed in the State Budget 2020-21, will take shape in next five years at Kodar Farm, Ponda, Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Agriculture Chandrakant Kavlekar said on Thursday.
Speaking to Herald, Kavlekar said that the facility would be set up in an area admeasuring 15 lakh sq mtrs at Kodar Farm, Khandepar-Ponda at an estimated cost of Rs 410 crore.
“It will take at least five years for the university to come up,” he said adding that the university will also be a centre of certification of organic produce.
Thanking Sawant for giving a green signal to the project, Deputy Chief Minister said the university will help the locals to study techniques to increase productivity, quality control, research and development in organic farming and also boost the allied industries like processing and packaging.
“It will also help in branding and marketing of the produce,” he explained.
“The organic agriculture practices will help in boosting the State economy as well as doubling farmers’ income by 2020,” Kavlekar added.
The minister informed that he had recently visited the Pune Agriculture College, which is affiliated to the Pune University, and also the Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth in Rahuri, Maharashtra, to seek valuable inputs for setting up the university.
Meanwhile, Kavlekar said that process has already been initiated to set up 500 organic clusters, covering total 10,000 ha, in various parts of the State.
