PORVORIM: The opposition benches on Tuesday urged State government to promote farming as a profession in a bid to attract youth.
Speaking during the cut motion moved to the Demand of Agriculture, Congress MLA Luizinho Faleiro demanded that government need to draft a dedicated agriculture policy to promote farming as a profession and to attract youth towards this profession.
“We need to also promote local vegetables that are endemic to the State,” he said. Former agriculture Minister and Goa Forward Party (GFP) MLA Vijai Sardesai, while supporting the demands, said that during his tenure, he had decided to bring 30 per cent uncultivated land under cultivation.
“We had given incentives and make sure that this dying profession becomes lucrative and there is glamour in agriculture, thus attracting the youths. Unless we make it lucrative, no youth will come forward to take up agriculture,” he said.
MLA believes that organic farming is a way forward to Brand Goa in the field of agriculture.
“The biggest issue we had taken up was about community farming. Community farming can be included in the vision to make farmers’ income double by 2022,” he said adding that the target to bring the uncultivated land into cultivation will be achieved through this.
Sardesai urged government to ensure that the Contract farming act is introduced in the State, latest by next assembly session.
