from daijiworld’s special correspondent

Panaji, May 10: Senior Congress leader and Goa chief minister Pratapsingh Rane on Wednesday said that he considered Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar as his `guru.’

The chief minister, with his agriculture background, told reporters that he intended to encourage agriculture in the state par with what NCP president has done in Baramati constituency.

“He has done wonders in agriculture as far as Baramati and other areas are concerned. We can emulate such models in Goa,” Rane said talking informally to the reporters at his official residence.

“My first love is farming. I want to show how agriculture can be productive,” the chief minister, briefing presspersons in presence of his son, vishwajeet, told reporters.

“Farming can be extremely profitable, if it is done scientifically like what Israel has done,” Rane said adding that agriculture export zones should be the priority for Goa.

Rane, a farmer himself, said that his government intended to dam maximum water so that more area can be irrigated.