Team Herald
CANACONA: Canacona has received 200 centimetres of rainfall till the end of July.
The hopes of the worried poor farmers from Canacona are now hinged on equal distribution of rainwater during August and September till the flowering of paddy takes place.
Canacona taluka has huge tracts of fields under paddy cultivation in the hinterland with equal area remaining uncultivated near the coastal areas.
The location of these small landholdings and irregular rains make it difficult to till these plots.
But still the elderly folk painstakingly take care of their fields.
Tolu Gaonkar, a farmer from Saturlim in Gaondongrem said the motivation and support from the Agricultural Department has kept them going till now. But with the younger generation inclined towards white collared jobs it will be next to impossible to continue paddy cultivation.
The small land holdings, difficulties in getting labourers, the high cost and poor yield have driven farmers from the lower basins of Canacona taluka to abandon paddy cultivation. “To add to our woes, stray cattle, peacocks, bison and wild boars destroy our crop”, lamented another farmer from Gaondongrem.
