Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: Goa Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant has called for a stronger push towards income-generating agriculture, urging self-help group (SHG) women to turn unused and barren land into productive assets.
Sawant said fodder cultivation alone could offer SHG members an opportunity to earn lakhs of rupees, encouraging them to explore agriculture as a viable source of livelihood rather than leaving cultivable land unused.
The Chief Minister also appealed to consumers to change their approach towards local farmers, asking them not to bargain excessively when purchasing vegetables and other farm produce.
He urged people to either grow vegetables themselves or buy directly from local farmers at fair prices, stressing that supporting farmers is essential to sustaining local agriculture.
₹12-Crore Centre To Boost Vegetable And Flower Farming
Sawant highlighted the Indo-Israel Centre of Excellence for Vegetables and Flowers at the Government Agriculture Farm in Codar, Ponda, describing it as a technology-driven facility designed to strengthen the state’s agricultural sector.
The ₹12-crore centre is expected to provide farmers with quality seedlings and support improvements in the productivity and quality of vegetable and flower cultivation.
‘Technology Cannot Be Copy-Pasted’: Israel Representative
Israel representative Uri Rubinstein said the India-Israel agriculture partnership is not about one country simply teaching the other how to farm.
He said the focus is on exchanging knowledge and expertise, with technologies needing to be adapted to India’s local conditions rather than being directly replicated from Israel.
Rubinstein stressed that Indian scientists and agricultural professionals have an important role in tailoring modern farming solutions to local requirements.
The discussions underline a broader focus on combining technology, local expertise and market support to make farming more productive and financially sustainable for Goa’s farmers and SHG groups.
