THE Goa State Agriculture Marketing Board is keen to have an agri-mall on the lines of terminal markets. As it will enable consumers and producers make direct contact, it should facilitate the development of products that are closely aligned with consumer tastes and demands.

So far, no substantive effort has been made by the state government for creating new infrastructure that will address the future needs and also the needs of farmers and other stakeholders.
The term, agriculture invariably reflects the image of a farmer, which incidentally is not a correct picture. With agriculture becoming a competitive business a farmer on his own cannot survive. He ought to have a better interaction with the market forces. The terminal market is a competitive alternative agricultural marketing platform to extract better service and efficiency from traditional markets and contribute to overall improvement in marketing activities in the state.
The mall to be built at Mapusa market yard proposes to bring traders, buyers and sellers under one roof. But where are the sellers? Does agriculture in Goa produce high surplus which could be marketed? The farmers of Goa are content with subsistence production. They do not produce enough to need cold storage. Though the lack of labour force and rising prices of inputs are cited as reasons for farmers losing interest, had agriculture been a profit-oriented vocation these factors would not have been of much significance. How to explain the lack of initiative on the part of the government to go for soil mapping to assess soil health and fertility? Soil mapping is an integrated programme for agricultural renewal. According to the type and health status of the soil, new seed and fertiliser technologies can be used to increase productivity. Goa has not been a part of the Green Revolution; so any stagnation in productivity cannot be attributed to over-exploitation of the soil. The Economic Survey 2008-09 says the state is witnessing a deceleration of growth in agriculture. In 1961, around 60 per cent of the workforce was engaged in agriculture, by 2001 only 9.7 per cent. The contribution of agriculture to the SDP has declined from 16.5 per cent in 1961 to below 8 per cent at present.
The marketing board must go ahead with its project in the hope that it would have a positive impact on the agricultural scene of the state. But the fact cannot be ignored that the Goa government has to decide whether it is really sincere to provide a major thrust to agriculture. Immediately after Liberation, the state had an area of 3,26,672 Ha under agriculture. But by 2009 it has come down to around 1,40,000 Ha. Agricultural production has been significantly reduced. Unless it goes for a complete change in its outlook and approach to agriculture, it would be utopian to believe that it could help accomplish the task. The proposed mall would eventually serve the interest of the interstate traders and retail operators. The board should impress upon the government to come out with a well-defined land-use policy for augmenting agriculture. It is painful to watch that vested interests and politicians have been converting agricultural land for urbanisation. The government has to stop conversion of agriculture land for commercial purpose. Unless it is done the ambitious project of the agriculture marketing board will not be of much benefit to Goan farmers.