'No agri land for non-Goans'

PANAJI: The Goa law commission has decided to propose a ban on sale of agricultural land to non-Goans in a bid to boost farming activities in the state. The commission plans to submit a report to the government on the same.

The law commission chairman, advocate Ramakant Khalap said that this will be kept open for public debate and suggestions, before submission. The commission, in a meeting held on Friday, also decided to propose farming estates and protection to agriculture land holders if they were ready to cultivate their land through contract farming.

The report will be submitted to the state government soon. Other recommendations likely to figure in the report include conservation of sweet water resources and allowing the farmer to get into an agreement with the sponsors to cultivate their farms.

The entire area available for agriculture in Goa is around 1,44,000 hectares, out of which 12,000 hectares are fallow land, while 35,000 hectares are cultivated only during monsoons. The remaining areas are not known to be arable.

Speaking to TOI, Khalap said that farmers can come together to form farming estates and form corporative societies, companies or associations, under which they can cultivate on their own crops or enter into contract with sponsors to cultivate the land.

"The whole idea is to make Goa green, save Goan land for the Goans and put the land to best economic and ecological use," said law commission member advocate Mario Pinto Almeida.

Khalap added that under this proposal, farmers or land holders shall be permitted to cultivate the land through a farming contract and this contract will not be in favour of the contractor, nor any right, title or interest, whatsoever, except for cultivation for the specified period of the contract.

"This will give a guarantee to farmers and land holders that they shall not lose their land and will be protected as tenants" said advocate Cleofate Almeida Coutinho, another law commission member.

The law commission has also strongly proposed a ban on the sale of agriculture land for non-agricultural uses. Such provisions exist in other states of the country, said Khalap.

He defined an agriculturist buying the land as one who has a specific agricultural development plan approved by the agriculture department or who resides in the specific radius of the property, whose sole source of income depends on agriculture.

"As far as possible we are trying to prevent the influx of non-Goans trying to buy agricultural property in Goa," added Coutinho.

NIZ GOENKAR: GOA LAW COMMISSION TO PROPOSE BAN ON SALE OF ...

Khalap added that under this proposal, farmers or land holders shall be permitted to cultivate the land through a farming contract and this contract will not be in favour of the contractor, nor any right, title or interest, whatsoever, except for cultivation for the specified period of the contract.  "This will give a guarantee to farmers and land holders that they shall not lose their land and will be protected as tenants" said advocate Cleofate Almeida Coutinho, another law commission member. He defined an agriculturist buying the land as one who has a specific agricultural development plan approved by the agriculture department or who resides in the specific radius of the property, whose sole source of income depends on agriculture.   "As far as possible we are trying to prevent the influx of non-Goans trying to buy agricultural property in Goa," added Coutinho.

Ramakant Khalap thinks he can fool all Goans with whatever he says. He and his former MG Party is instrumental in the distruction of Agriculture in  the entire state of Goa . They are the one who brought in Tenancy Act which destroyed the age old institution of Communidades which used to do a fantastic job of increasing the agricultural produce in Goa. Every village in Goa was almost self sufficiant in rice and vegetable production. Now see what is the state of Agriculture in Goa. Most of the fields are barren and the tenants are only waiting for the land sharks to pay money to them and ofcourse the builders can stat their constructions.  After his party was wiped off the Goan political scene the useless Congress Party has blessed him with the present post. And he only barks to show the world that he is doing something to justify the loot. Same is the case with  Eduardo Faleiro who sits on NRI Cell and loots Crores of tax payers money so that they can get married two or three times even in their old age. That's how they want to increase production.

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