There should be no delay in taking the Agriculture Policy to its logical conclusion
Eleven months after the draft policy was submitted to the government by the committee appointed for the purpose, the state cabinet on Thursday approved the Goa State Amritkal Agriculture Policy, 2025.
The policy is a well-studied document that is poised to take Goa forward in the agricultural sector. A comprehensive document, it is aimed at transforming Goa’s agricultural sector into a modern, sustainable and inclusive pillar of its economy, ready to meet the challenges of the 21st century while preserving its rich
agricultural heritage.
Besides having several provisions for the promotion of agriculture in the state, the policy seeks to ban the conversion of agricultural land, including khazan, kher, morod, etc., a decision that could be a turning point to preserve agricultural land for posterity. The provision for penal action against those releasing sewage into agricultural fields is another important feature, as several fields are fallow due to this reason.
Scientist Nandkumar Kamat, who was the chairman of the drafting committee, along with members of the committee, must be complimented for doing a thorough job in preparing a comprehensive document encompassing the various facets of agriculture and how Goa can adopt a sustainable and commercially viable approach. In a move that will be considered very inclusive, the policy advocates the inclusion of women farmers and youth in agriculture.
It also rightly focusses on revolutionising agriculture through organic farming, aeroponics, hydroponics, aquaponics, vertical farming and urban agriculture. It also aims to promote cash crops such as mango and cashew in a big way, as well as exotic fruits like avocado, rambutan, pomelo, grapefruit, etc, for which a subsidy will be made available.
There are steps for creating sustainable farming with options for farmers to go in for agro-tourism too. It also proposes enacting the New Goa Farmers Welfare Act to provide guaranteed livelihood security and incorporate sustainable practices in agriculture. Care has been taken to provide farming information centres at strategic locations and skill development programmes for farm workers. Stressing the need for innovation, the policy calls for efforts to collaborate with national and international institutions.
The government, with Ravi Naik as the agriculture minister, had reconstituted the draft committee on May 24, 2023, involving stakeholders and experts. Public suggestions were invited on July 14, 2023, with the deadline extended until September 17, 2023. A total of over 3,751 suggestions were received from individuals, farmer groups, 39 village panchayats and other stakeholders at the drafting stage. Based on the suggestions, the committee had identified focus areas.
The nomenclature of the Goa State Amritkal Agriculture Policy, 2024, is an initiative aligning with the vision of Amritkal, aiming towards India’s centenary of Independence in 2047. The state government needs to be serious in giving agriculture a big push. As the policy mentions, there’s huge potential for agriculture and related activities in the state. Goa cannot afford to move at a slow pace on this front. For the consideration of the policy, it took more than 10 months from the time the draft was submitted. There is no justification for the delay in adopting the well-researched, all-inclusive and robust policy formulated with ready-made solutions to revive agriculture. The government must set the ball rolling. There is high expectation from agriculturists that the government will take the necessary steps to take the policy forward for a green revolution by 2047.
