ICAR-CCARI-GCCI-NABARD-farmers Stakeholder Meeting on Revival of Khazan Lands of Goa Organized

    ICAR–Central Coastal Agricultural Research Institute (ICAR-CCARI), The Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI),and NABARD, Goa organized a Stakeholder Meeting on the revival and sustainable management of Goa’s Khazan lands. As part of the programme, participants undertook a field visit to the pilot demonstration site at Merces, where scientific land-shaping and Integrated Farming System (IFS) model for revival of Khazan lands is demonstrated through a pilot project implemented by ICAR-CCARI, supported by GCCI and funded by NABARD.

    During the field visit, the transformation of salt-affectedKhazan lands into productive farming systems through scientific interventions such as land shaping, rainwater harvesting, soil amelioration, crop diversification, and fish farming was demonstrated. Practical demonstrations of soil and pond water salinity measurements were conducted to showcase the effectiveness of the interventions in reclaiming and revitalizing Khazan ecosystems. Farmers and stakeholders interacted with the scientists and gained firsthand knowledge of scientific management practices that can improve the productivity, profitability, and sustainability of Khazan lands. Farmers representative Mr. Joaquim D’Souza, who is one of the progressive farmers, played a pivotal role in implementing the interventions and mobilizing the fellow farmers. His efforts were indispensable in the successful demonstration of the pilot project.

    Addressing the gathering of the meeting, Dr. Parveen Kumar, Director, ICAR-CCARI, Goa, informed that the institute is preparing a comprehensive policy paper on the revival of Khazan lands of Goa. He highlighted that the document will compile scientific evidence, field experiences, and stakeholder recommendations to support policy decisions for the conservation, restoration, and productive use of Khazan ecosystems, thereby benefiting farmers, government agencies, and other stakeholders.

    Shri Mahesh Patil, Chairman, Agriculture, Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Food Processing Committee (2025–27), GCCI, appreciated the efforts of ICAR-CCARI and emphasized the importance of developing a strong and actionable policy framework. He conveyed that GCCI, along with its committee members and representatives from various state departments, would actively contribute to the process so that a comprehensive policy document can be submitted to the Government of Goa for consideration and future action.

    The programme was attended by officials from the Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI), Directorate of Agriculture, Government of Goa, Directorate of Fisheries, Government of Goa, NABARD, entrepreneurs, representatives of ZyconReNew Energy Pvt. Ltd., progressive farmers, and scientists and staff of ICAR-CCARI. Dr. Gopal Ramdas Mahajan, Senior Scientist (Soil Science), ICAR-CCARI, Goa, Dr. R. Solomon Rajkumar, Mr. Trivesh Mayekar, Shri Siddharth Marathe, Smt. Pranjali Wadekar, and Dr. Subhradip Bhattacharjee were Coordinators of the programme.