Goa’s agriculture at crossroads

Anyone who travels from North to South of Goa is bound to stare at the vast paddy fields neglected and kept fallow. Yet Goa’s greenery is praised by everyone, who visits the State.

This greenery emerges from times immemorial mostly from its agriculture. Hills, valleys, plains, plateaus, paddy fields, coconut groves, mango and cashew trees, along with other trees constitute this green Goa. It is only recently that much of it has been denuded due to unbridled construction activity, its paddy fields being turned into concrete jungles and unscrupulously acquired by the Government for various (so called) development projects, while the Government should have prepared more  and more agricultural land and handed over to farmers for cultivation.

The name and fame of Goa as the most advanced agricultural state of the time, when India was not even a separate country, has emerged from the centuries old and unique agricultural system of village community land and corporate/community  agriculture better known as  ‘Ganvkaries’ or ‘Comunidades’ in Portuguese.

This village community system of agriculture predates the arrival of Portuguese in Goa. The Portuguese recognising the good in the system codified their existing customs and usages giving them the seal of law called Foral dos Usos e Costumes dos Nativos da India by Afonso De Mexia or simply Foral de Afonso Mexia in 1526.Even before the Portuguese landed here and after their arrival, Goa being famous in agriculture, its farmers were invited to various Kingly States of South India to develop their agriculture. Thus we see Goan farmers developing agriculture in Mangalore, Mysore, Kerala, etc. Goa’s farming methods were considered as the most advanced of the time like the ‘Dantto’ & the ‘Latt’. The ‘Latt’ was an unique Goan invention of drawing water from the ponds for irrigation, in the absence of electrical pumps.

Goa’s agricultural history is a milestone achieved by our ancestors through reclamation of vastswats of sluice (Chikol) by bunding of waters and their regulation on high and low tides through sluice gates, a feat unparalleled in India. These reclaimed lands, were called ‘Khazan lands’ from where Goans derived their staple food – rice, fish and curry. Among the big khazans, I will mention only a few: Carambolim-Neura belt khazans. Carambolim with its lake was known as the rice bowl of Goa. In Salcete, we have Macazana (Maha-kazan) and similarly there is a Maha-kazan in Pernem. Four varieties of rice were planted in Goa: Munddem, Azgo, Kontri and Korgutt (salinity resistant variety). We had two paddy crops in Goa, the Kharif and the Rabi. There were over 60 natural fountains of sweet water, a good number of big and small lakes and numberless ponds (honddes) in the villages from where our farmers were drawing water through the ‘Latt’ system for irrigation.

Goa’s greenery and agriculture received an unprecedented boost with the arrival of Portuguese in this land. They imported more than 50 species of trees, plants, vegetables, spices, cereals, pulses, etc.

I mention a few: Rain forest trees and Cashew trees (from Brazil), Ficus Benjamina, Nonorki in Konkani (from Israel), pine trees. From the local Mango trees grafted by the Jesuits with Brazilian Mango trees we got Mal-corada mangoes (Malcurad). Similarly Avocados, Pineapples, Potatoes, Guavas, Papayas, Corn (maize) and Water melons etc., were all imported by the Portuguese.

Various villages of Goa became famous for their specialities in agriculture: Parra for water melons, Saligao for sugar cane, Moira for bananas, Aldona for chillies in Bardez. In Tiswadi we have Agassaim and Goa Velha for sweet potatoes and brinjals, Jua for lady fingers. Salcete with South Goa became famous for water melons in Majorda-Utorda-Verna belt, Cowfea (allsande in most of the Taluka ). Special chillies were produced in Canacona.

Goa’s economy was agricultural. There were hardly any industries in Goa. Goans had to live by the labour of their hands, without any government subsidies. The village community agricultural system was most profitable one. After meeting all the expenses of the village governance the surplus was divided in the form of ‘zonn’ for the gaunkars and dividend for the shareholders.

Although Goa was an agricultural State, rice produced in this small State was never enough to feed its large population. Therefore there were always imports of rice from other places of India till the blockade between Goa and India. The state was self-sufficient in horticulture products. Only apples and oranges came from Pakistan a few years before 1961.

Goa’s entire farming system was operated on the modern concepts of BOT and DOT. Although these denominations were unheard off then, in reality they were present in Goa.

 Goa’s farming was manual and organic. Only after 1965 it lost its charm to chemical fertilizers produced by Zuari Agro Chemicals of Sancoale and as well as pesticides from Ciba, Corlim and other parts of India. Presently there is a return to organic farming and we have to venture whole-heartedly into it if we want to avoid the ill effects of chemical fertilizers and pesticides.

Nowadays Israel being a small nation in the world is considered as the most advanced State in agriculture. Delegations from Goa and other parts of India visit this Country to learn about their most advanced agricultural techniques. Can we have in Goa also as the most advanced State in agriculture to regain its past glory? 

Today agriculture is nearly dead in Goa and the reasons are manifold. I will elaborate them in the next article. Goa’s land is very fertile one. Anything one sows bears fruits and you reap and enjoy the fruit of your labour. Therefore there is a need to go back to our agriculture and it is profitable if we go for it scientifically along with the use of proper machinery and manpower, otherwise our paddy fields will be converted into concrete jungles and we will be bound to be strangers in our own land.