The farmer community of the Canacona taluka has requested the Agricultural minister and the Director of Agriculture to provide financial assistance in order to cultivate Jasmin buds (jayyo) over its increasing demands for poojas and for its colour and fragrance.
According to sources more than 200 families from Poinguinim and Loliem-Polem village panchayats, Canacona are fully dependent on this seasonal business. If proper care is taken and government provides subsidy to grow hybrids of jayyo, it can be grown 365 days commercially, informed sources in Zonal Agricultural Department Canacona.
Though the state government is presently trying to support the floriculture movement in Goa, concerned authorities have neglected Canacona taluka, except for the orchid cultivation, informed Ram Gaonkar, farmer and social worker from Gulem, Canacona.
Local MLA cum Agricultural Minister Ramesh Tawadkar has shown keen interest in the orchid cultivation in different parts of the Canacona taluka and many youth have taken keen interest because of good subsidy on orchid plantation. But locally grown jayyo cultivation and other hybrid jayyo are totally neglected despite tremendous demand, said traditional cultivators.
The Agricultural Officer Shivram Gaonkar, while speaking to daily said that youth are getting attracted to this orchid plantation scheme because under controlled condition, different types of high value crops can be cultivated throughout the year as compared to agricultural crops like vegetable and floriculture.
Speaking to Herald, farmer Rama Gaonkar said that one of the leading floricultural items grown in Canacona and particularly in Dapot-Mashem is the Jayanche Kale (Jasmine Buds) locally known as jayyo but so far government has not provided them any basic facilities nor taken any steps to expand the cultivation.
He further said that in this connection he will send a memorandum to the Director of Agriculture through the local Zonal office, Canacona.
Every day around 65 women are selling jayyo in the Canacona Municipality areas over its increasing demands, but they claim that there is neither financial aid/help nor information facility available regarding the growth of Jasmine flowers, with the agricultural department in the Canacona, added flower vendors Sushma and Rajashri Naik.
Jayanche Kolle, grown in and around the Canacona taluka, are in great demand in the market, due to its special fragrance, which can be later used for producing perfumes and incense sticks (agarbathi), etc.
According to Ajit Pai, a leading cloth merchant from Chaudi, these poor flower vendors are selling Jasmine buds and other seasonal flowers on the road side or in any corner of the shops by standing in the sun and rain for their daily livelihood.
He further said that government should encourage them by providing a shed and basic facilities to sell their daily product and should also provide financial help in order to cultivate more Jasmine buds and other flowers, which have high demands.
The Jayanche Kolle is the seasonal flower, which generally grows in the month of July and during the end of the Season in September /October and on the occasion of the Ganesh Chaturthi days, its cost is almost double, due to its pleasant fragrance.
At present, flowers costing more than Rs 50 lakh are regularly brought from Karnataka via Polem-Canacona check post to Goa, as it is incapable of growing the required number of flowers.
According to local flower merchants more than 40,000 flowers are sold daily in the Canacona municipality areas and at Ganesh Chaturthi days it goes to around two lakhs, though its rate is very high.
During the month of the August, their growth attains the maximum level. However, there is an uneven demand for them at certain times, which compels the flower vendors to sell the small garland of the Kale, (locally known as Fathi) at the rate of Rs 20 to 25 per garland, or Kale at the rate of Rs 50 to Rs 60 per 1,000 pieces.
There is no facility available for the preservation of flowers at Canacona taluka and it is very difficult to preserve flowers said one sole distributor Fernandes from Nagarcekar building Chaudi.
