TEAM HERALD
teamherald@herald-goa.com
MARGAO: Stray cattle had literally driven the toiling farmers of Sucaldem in Chinchinim village to despair, with many leaving the fields fallow for want of protection against the cattle menace.
Attempts by a couple of enterprising farmers to keep the stray cattle at bay had come to a nought in the absence of mechanism to look after the impounded cattle.
Their nightmares might turn out the thing of the past, thanks to the intervention by the government authorities by sanctioning 1.5 km fencing to protect the fields from being invaded by the strays.
In fact, the fencing project has rekindled hopes amongst the farmers about the revival of agriculture in the Sucaldem belt with a group of farmers forming the Farmers Club of Sucaldem to revive agriculture in the area.
Sunday saw Velim MLA Benjamin D’Silva and Zonal Agricultural officer, Margao Sandeep Faldessai descended in the Suncaldem fields as the MLA launched the fencing work in the presence of the farmers. Benjamin said the fencing facility should hopefully put an end to the ordeal of the farmers from the stray cattle menace.
He, however, said that fencing alone would not suffice while appealing to the farmers to cultivate the fields, promising government incentives.
ZAO Sandeep Faldessai said the fencing project will go a long way in benefitting the farmers from the menace of stray cattle.
He outlined the various schemes of the agriculture department to revive agriculture in the state.
“The MLA has chalked out plans to procure a tractor and a power till for the farmers of Sucaldem to give a boost to agriculture in the village”, he said.
Farmers club president Santano Antao said the fencing would certainly help to revive agriculture at Sucaldem.
Contractor Lawrence Serrao has promised to execute and work within the time schedule.
