Goa’s Agriculture Minister Vijai Sardesai on Wednesday said he is in favour of conducting beauty contests in paddy fields if it will attract youngsters to farming, PTI reported.
“Today agriculture does not appeal the young generation,” Sardesai said while responding to demands for grants for agriculture in the Legislative Assembly. He said youngsters feel agriculture is a “profession of the old people” and there is a need to incentivise agriculture.
“If you want, you can even host beauty contests in paddy fields,” Sardesai said. “Let the youth come. Do everything possible to get the young generation to the fields.”
Sardesai also said that the Goa government will remain the guarantor of land to ensure no one will take over the land once it is brought under the contract farming scheme.
In July, the minister unveiled a government scheme to chant “Vedic hymns” in an attempt to get better crop yields. He backed a technique that involves farmers meditating and channelling “cosmic energy” by chanting “Om rum jum sah” for at least 20 minutes a day.
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