Agro tourism can boost farm income, says Shripad

Panaji: Agro-ecotourism has opened up a new avenue to increase farm income, said Union minister of tourism, shipyard and waterways, Shripad Naik.

He was speaking at the national symposium on self-reliant coastal agriculture at Old Goa. “The symposium will act as a knowledge platform and a way forward to sustainable coastal agriculture which will benefit farmers, scientists and other stakeholders,” he said.

Mahesh Patil, chairman, Goa State Pollution Control Board said that khazan land has to be revived through an integrated farming approach and encourage agro-ecotourism to improve the income of farmers. “Climate change is a fact and we should prioritise our research and development on climate-resilient agriculture,” he said.

Hosted by the ICAR-CCARI, Old Goa, the symposium featured different sessions and deliberations on coastal agriculture. On this occasion, Padma Shri Awardee Amai Mahalinga Naik was felicitated by the dignitaries for his innovation in water conservation and converting barren lands into green and fertile lands.

Environment minister Nilesh Cabral stressed on the need for reviving the fifth century old and traditional agriculture system of Goa through eco-friendly methods of bund stabilisation, integration of pisciculture and agriculture to make Goa a self-reliant state in agriculture.