GCCI for contract farming to bring more land under cultivation

Goa's apex industrial association has favoured introduction of contract farming system in the state to bring fallow land under cultivation.
Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) in its pre-budget memorandum presented to the state government has recommended introduction of contract farming system as a measure to increase agriculture production in the state by bringing under cultivation fallow land.
GCCI president Manguirish Pai Raikar told reporters yesterday that several patches of land have been left without cultivation as the land owners are afraid to hand them over to others to cultivate.
"They are afraid that they will lose their land to the tenants," he pointed out.

Raikar said that at the time of liberation, agriculture contributed roughly about 70 per cent to state GDP, today its share has decline to 5 per cent.
"The major reason for this decline is deemed to be the ambiguity in the present Land Tenancy Act and its implications, which encourages tenants to keep the land fallow with a hope of making windfall gain when they might be able to sell it to real estate," he said.