In December, the Agriculture Department, through its Zonal Agricultural Offices, supplied a variety of seeds to farmers, which unfortunately failed to germinate, causing significant losses to the ryots. I, along with a few other farmers, purchased the so-called “high-yielding” groundnut seeds from the Zonal Agricultural Office at Mapusa, paying Rs 6,000 for 100 kg, in the hope of reaping a bumper harvest during the Rabi season. After investing heavily in manpower, fertilisers, and ploughing of the fields, not a single seed germinated, putting us into colossal loss. This experience was not unique to me; several other farmers faced the same fate.
Interestingly, ryots who sourced seeds from the open market reported high germination rates and went on to reap bumper harvests.
We lodged a written complaint with the ZAO at Mapusa, but we are yet to receive any compensation. When summoned, the seed provider claimed that the crop required drip irrigation, a facility most of us lack. Here in Goa, seeds typically grow relying on soil moisture and residue. The authorities should have tested and demonstrated the seed’s performance before distributing it to farmers. By the time a farmer realises that his crop has failed, valuable time, money, and labour are already lost. The Agriculture Department must conduct field demonstrations before recommending any new seed variety to farmers, rather than leaving them to face ruin.
Similar issues have been reported with jumbo watermelon and other seeds supplied by the Department, with seeds failing to germinate and causing losses. Even when replacement seeds are provided, it is often too late to salvage the season.
A thorough probe must be conducted into this matter. In the future, the Agriculture Department must trial each seed variety in their respective zones before encouraging farmers to cultivate them. As it is, farmers suffer enough during the Kharif season when their fields are waterlogged. The Rabi season is the only time they manage to earn some income, and it is unfair that they should be forced to suffer further losses due to no fault of their own.
We, farmers from Sangolda, demand a full enquiry into this fiasco and suitable compensation for the crop losses incurred. Agricultural officers must come to ground zero, interact with farmers before the start of the new season, and ensure that seeds being distributed can withstand the vagaries of nature, especially given the worsening waterlogging issues due to highway expansion.