Team Herald
CANACONA: Since the time people started colonising the mountains and the flood plains of Canacona, agriculture has been the major occupation, and still is.
With no other option except tourism in coastal areas, Canaconkars still soil their feet to make a decent living despite all odds.
Canacona has an area of 352.04 sq kms, most of which is covered by forests and is also home to Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary which alone covers 86 sq kms.
Notwithstanding this, there is about 100 sq kms area in Canacona that is under cultivation producing famous Canacona cashew nuts, Canconchi chilies, to the rice cultivated on the manmade terraces on the hills of the taluka.
Even though the farmers from the taluka face lot of hardships from unpredictable rains since last few years to labour cost as well as their unavailability together with wild animals destroying standing crops, the farmers from the taluka have continued their activity in the absence of lack of employment and absence of any gainful activity apart from tourism.
As we travel from Gulem to Polem by NH66 road, one can see vast tracts of fallow land, owners of these barren lands say that the labour rate has skyrocketed and farming is not at all economically viable.
Past experience of wild animals and stray cattle destroying plantations is also a discouraging factor for keeping the land idle say locals who were into farming earlier.
The fast money from the tourism business in the coastal areas of Canacona has attracted most of the youth who prefer this activity rather than agriculture which is slow and low on returns.
With agricultural department offering 100% subsidy for construction of poly houses and 50 % on planting materials, 23 youths from the taluka ventured into poly houses.
Except a few, most of them didn’t succeed and stare at financial institutions taking over the property that was mortgaged to avail loans from the banks.
However, with Canacona agricultural department’s constant motivation and financial assistance, till now they are able to keep the elder generation engaged in farming but with the present generation not interested in agriculture despite various schemes and financial assistance from agricultural department, the future of agriculture in Canacona looks bleak feel the elderly farmers from the taluka.
