Of late, the farmers in Goa have been going through a lot of pain as their standing crops have been destroyed by the rains. Initially, during the sowing period, the farmers had gone through a harrowing ordeal as their fields were inundated, water-logged and destroyed.
The ordeals of the Goan farmer has never ended. In Aldona, Sangolda, Guirim, Bastora and Bardez, the ripe and ready rice crop has collapsed with the rain. In certain areas, the rice has sprouted again. Farmers who have harvested their fields early have kept their produce by the roadside as the market price is low and farmers have no bargaining capacity either. As of now, the buying rate offered by the government is Rs 20 per kg and a measly Rs 2 as subsidy. The government should also direct the dealers to pick up the farmers' produce which is of late lying by the roadside before it rains and cause further trouble to the already distressed ryots. They should also pay the full amount at a time rather then making farmers run from pillar to post to fill forms for a few hundred rupees. Time the Agriculture Department provides new varieties of rice to the farmer that will withstand the vagaries of nature and save them from the rain inflicted pain.