NT Reporter
Panaji
Viksit Goa by 2037 can be achieved only through a strong, progressive and sustainable agricultural sector, Minister for Captain of Ports Digambar Kamat said on Thursday. He also said ICAR’s research and technological innovations should focus on improving the lives of small and marginal farmers.
“Agriculture should be taken up as a business by the youth of the state,” said Kamat while calling to preservethe state’s farming tradition.
He was speaking at the 98th Foundation Day celebrations of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), organised by the ICAR-Central Coastal Agricultural Research Institute (ICAR-CCARI), Old Goa.
“ICAR has played a key role in transforming India from a food-deficit to a food-surplus nation through science-based agricultural innovations,” said ICAR-CCARI Director Dr Parveen Kumar.
He said that while India’s population had increased 4.1 times over the past 75 years, foodgrain production had grown 7.4 times because of improved crop varieties, modern technologies, mechanisation, and effective research and extension systems, helping ensure food security and sustainable agricultural growth.
Cumbarjua MLA Rajesh Faldessai said establishing an agriculture and animal husbandry institution in Goa would encourage more young people to pursue agriculture and agripreneurship.
“The state needs to increase local vegetable production and improve the productivity of khazan lands to meet growing food demand,” said Goa Higher Education Corporation chairman Govind Parvatkar.
He also spoke about the decline in agricultural land due to land conversion and stressed the need to protect farmland and promote organic farming so that farmers can secure better prices while ensuring sustainable agricultural development.
