OLD GOA: In a bid to encourage farmers to cultivate fallow land, Agriculture Minister Vijai Sardesai proposes to introduce legislation to rejuvenate and boost community and contract farming during the Budget session of the State Assembly, likely to be held in February next year.
The government also proposes to provide additional incentives to farmers, who would like to opt for contract or community farming.
Speaking to media persons on Monday, Sardesai said the government’s intention is to ensure that the land is not kept fallow. He said that there is need to reintroduce the system, under which all barren land can be brought under cultivation.
“To allow the cultivation of fallow land, we have to get into contract farming law by which the government acts as a guarantor and ensures that somebody’s land is not grabbed,” the Minister explained.
“There is also need to encourage community efforts by promoting community farming,” he said and added, “There is need to give community and contract farming a push, for which legislation needs to be brought in. Unless we bring in legislation, there is no point in talking about such things. We will provide additional incentives for farming.”
Talking about community farming, the Minister said that though the concept exists, it is not institutionalised through government backing. “I am trying to institutionalise it as a mechanism to promote agriculture,” he said.
