EDITORIAL
Agriculture reforms require field accountability and stronger implementation
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Tuesday warned officials of the Agriculture Department of action if they fail to perform their duties. Speaking at Krushi Pe Charcha in Sankhali, he advised agriculture officers not to limit themselves to office work but also to step into the field—regularly visit farms, interact with farmers, understand their problems and ensure timely solutions. Officers should also conduct village-level meetings to educate farmers about modern technologies, help increase their income and ensure government schemes reach beneficiaries effectively, Sawant said. He also alleged that some government drivers deliberately damage tractors to avoid work.
If this is the state of affairs, it highlights the prevailing culture of administrative lethargy. It also points to a severe lack of accountability and systemic rot at the operational level and calls for strict disciplinary action. The government must also undertake audits of government machinery and enforce a zero-tolerance policy towards dereliction of duty. If we scratch the surface, we will probably find that the errant employees are those recruited through political influence. This is true not only in the Agriculture Department but in most departments. They run to their “political godfathers”, who try to protect them as voters, leaving their supervising officers helpless.
There is no doubt that the Agriculture Department plays an important role in promoting agriculture. This is because of the sincere work done by its officers and other employees. If a farmer does well commercially, especially in the first three years, it is often because of the agriculture officer concerned. While action should be initiated against errant employees, proactive ones must be incentivised. To make agriculture a commercially viable and attractive profession, the department could adopt a different working pattern for at least three months, from June to September. This is the period when farmers need assistance the most. Long ago, there was a suggestion that the Agriculture Department’s zonal offices, farms and other units frequented by farmers should remain open at least on Saturdays, if not on Sundays as well, for the first two months of monsoon. However, if they are employed elsewhere, they have to take leave merely to make enquiries at the ZAO. Rhetoric is different from ground reality.
Even the Goa State Amritkal Agriculture Policy 2025 aims to encourage young people to take up agriculture. The policy covers various aspects of the sector and, if the government is serious, it should implement it aggressively. It focuses on strengthening farmer collectives, improving access to markets, credit and insurance, and diversifying income through value addition and agro-tourism. It also proposes the inclusion of agriculture in school curricula and calls for the proper utilisation and conservation of water resources through measures such as rainwater harvesting and the restoration of traditional water systems.
The department also needs to promote vertical farming and urban agriculture using modern methods such as hydroponics, aeroponics and aquaponics. At the same time, agricultural land continues to be converted for development. The government must address this contradiction. The central and state governments offer substantial subsidies to promote agriculture. However, growth remains marginal. Elected representatives receive thousands of saplings for distribution in their constituencies. They should do much more if agriculture is to receive a boost. They must ask themselves how much land has been brought under cultivation. How many MLAs with agricultural land in their constituencies have helped revive paddy cultivation or other crops on a significant scale?
