Panaji, Dec 11 (KNN) Aiming to ensure livelihood opportunities for jobless youth and Self Help Groups (SHG) members of Goa, National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has initiated Swayampurna Goem, a low cost polyhouses project.

COVID-19 pandemic has caused reverse migration in the State as many people, especially youth of Goa were left jobless and Goa with its tourism centric service sector economy, was no exception. Low cost polyhouses project initiated by NABARD came handy as it ensured livelihood opportunities for jobless. 10 such nurseries were sanctioned by NABARD to Agricultural Technology Management Agency (ATMA) covering five blocks of the State.

Usha Ramesh, General Manager / OiC, Goa RO, Vasant Savardekar, DGM and Sushil Naik, DDM visited a few nurseries. Dilip Paranjape, Project Director, ATMA and the Zonal Agriculture Officers of Pernem & Bardez Blocks coordinated the visit.

Interaction with farmers revealed that the first cycle during the festive season of Dussehera and Diwali was very remunerative and with the logistics support of ATMA, they were to take up the nursery activities on an ongoing basis.

This unique livelihood project has helped attract youth to Agriculture and has provided them with livelihood options. The concept of Swayampurna Goem has been realized in the true sense as earlier the seedlings used to be sourced from Maharashtra and sold at double the prevailing price.

The project has demonstrated the benefits of Farm Sector Interventions in times of COVID-19 through a project which can be replicated all over.