MLAs Call for Action on 50% Drop in Cashew Production

Swift Summary

• The Goa Assembly discussed challenges in agriculture during a session on demands for grants.
• Cashew production in the state has dropped by 50% due to unseasonal rains and climate change impacts.
• Opposition leader Yuri Alemao called for adaptive policies to combat climate change’s effects on farming.
• MLAs raised concerns about the Sanjeevani sugar factory at dharbandora, urging revival plans after consulting farmers.
• Demands were made for increased Minimum Support Prices (MSP) for coconut, areca nuts, and cashew nuts to support farmers facing losses.
• Deviya Rane highlighted that current MSP rates are insufficient and proposed hikes as incentives for cultivation.
• Govind gaude alleged difficulties caused by landlords denying NOCs needed for access roads, hampering mechanization efforts, leading fields to go barren or be converted into building sites.
• Yuri Alemao suggested a five-point agenda addressing issues such as khazan land management,IT adoption in agriculture,community farming approaches,and filling vacant assistant agriculture officer positions.
• Vijai Sardesai proposed agri-tourism initiatives like ‘farm-to-table’ concepts to diversify agricultural income.

!MLAs demand action as cashew production dives 50%

indian Opinion Analysis

The discussion highlights systemic challenges in Goa’s agricultural sector exacerbated by climate change impacts such as unseasonal rains causing major output declines like the 50% drop in cashew production. Calls for increased MSP rates reflect an urgent need to address farmer distress while improving economic viability of cultivation amidst changing climatic conditions. Initiatives like modernization of farming techniques using IT tools or community-based solutions could bridge gaps created by land fragmentation or insufficient mechanization.

Additionally, allegations around blocked field access due to landlord issues reveal critical roadblocks beyond natural factors-for these structural hurdles addressing rural governance complexities may help preserve farmland from unsustainable urbanization pressures.Agri-tourism ideas present innovative pathways toward diversifying farmer income but would require important planning and execution aligning with local needs.For sustainable growth within this sector underlines combining adaptive policymaking with effective grassroots execution while prioritizing revival of stalled projects like sugar factories through direct farmer involvement-a balanced approach could counter both existing inefficiencies and emerging threats from climatic shifts over time.

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