Navhind Times | 1 year ago | 05-01-2022 | 02:28 am
Staff ReporterMargaoUnion Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Narendra Singh Tomar on Tuesday said the Centre will invest Rs 11,000 crore in ‘oil palm mission’ to cut the deficit in oil imports, adding farmersfrom Goa, Maharashtra will benefit from minimum support price (MSP), processing units.Speaking at ‘Krishi Mohotsav 2022’, a district-level agriculture festival, organised by Directorate of Agriculture in Quepem, Tomar said while India is surplus in rice and wheat production, the country heavily depends on imports from foreign countries.He said the Centre will invest in production units while farmers will be encouraged to take up palm cultivation due to better minimum support price. He also said the Centre is committed to connect the smaller farmers with technology by investing over Rs 6,865 croreto set up over 10,000 food processing units across the country, adding Goa will also benefit.He said this will revolutionise the growth of small farmers who can sell their products directly to these units, as an initiative by the Prime Minister to double the farmincome by 2022.Hailing‘Swayampurna Goem’ initiative, the Union minister said he is confident that the initiative will have a national footprint and the state has full support from the central government.Speaking exclusively to ‘The Navhind Times’, he said the Centre will compensate farmers owing to the rise in rates, includingdiesel, through revision in minimum support price. He said the government will take into account the impact of the price rise and other factors.Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said Goa has started becoming self-sufficient in agriculture and the only way forward is to promote integrated farming. He said the government has already notified a policyand Rs 20 crore worth loans have been disbursed to dairy farmers.He said so far 9,000 Goan farmers had received six installments of aid under the centrally-sponsored Krishi Samman Yojana and that Goa Biodiversity Board is in the process of setting up a food processing unit in every taluka of the state by next year.These units, he said, will purchase farm products at source and, after processing, the products will yield a good market rate.Deputy Chief Minister and Agriculture Minister Chandrakant Kavlekar said the state government is committed to make Goa self-sufficient in agriculture sector and has provided directsubsidies.He said the efforts are beginning to show results with people across the state including along the coastal belt having taken up agriculture.He said the farmers, who have given up farming due to various reasons, are getting attracted to the traditional occupation again.Subsidy at source helps farmers in a big way, he said, adding the community farming has the benefit of getting 90% subsidy to procure anything related to farming.He said everyone has faced hardships due to COVID pandemic which has still not passed off but the government has continued to support the farmers during these difficult times.Member of Parliament Vinay Tendulkar, chairperson of Quepem Municipal Council Suchita Shirwaikar and others were present.Detailed presentations on various schemes were made by officials of the Department of Agriculture, Directorate of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services and other departments.
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