When the whole world is taking steps to preserve tradition and traditional values, back home, the traditional ways and even local tradition-based industries are rapidly fading into extinction, and unless concerted preservation efforts are made, Goa’s golden traditions will be lost forever to the engulfing modernity that has taken the world by storm.
Ghanno tradition of coconut oil extraction using traditional wooden mill and driven by an ox is one of Goa’s centuries-old tradition which is fast disappearing from the villages of Goa.
However, two such mills are still in operation in Agonda, a village in Canacona taluka. Incidentally, both the units belonging to one family, which has succeeded in keeping alive the traditional method of oil extraction, in spite of all odds and adversities.
They say that rearing an ox to drive the wooden mill is a laborious task, with literally no grazing pastures available. Besides, one member of the family is required to look after the ox.
The ox-driven cold presses of coconut oil extraction, which were found in all the parts of Goa, are being shut down with some of them finding their way to museums in the state.
“Since the younger generation shy away from this type of work we are forced to shut down the mill,” said a mill owner in Canacona taluka, who, after a few years of non-operation of the oil mill (locally called ghanno), sold it to another mill owner in the taluka.
Another reason that has perhaps led to the sorry state of affairs is the shortage of coconuts in the market, which has now become one of the strong contributing factors for the dwindling business for the once-flourishing mills.
Besides, shortage of coconut harvesters, flooding of the market with other cooking oils and decrease in area of coconuts plantations has made this traditional business unviable.
Oil mill owners who have nothing but complains today, say they were forced to stop this once successful business in the villages of Goa due to various factors, including government apathy.
One of the two mill owners in Agonda has improvised his mill and in place of the ox he has fitted a modified mini-tiller, which is more economical and less time consuming.
“Most of my customers are from tribal areas. Besides, elderly people and foreign tourists who know the value of oil extracted by this method, come to me. I have a steady flow of regular customers since my father started this mill over 60 years ago,” he says.
Amongst hundreds of uses of coconut oil extracted by this method it is still widely-used for cooking, and as body and skin care, especially in baby oils, cuts and wounds, aromatherapy and to boost energy.
An elderly lady who had come for extraction of oil from the copra she brought along said that this oil is good and healthy in all ways. “Everyone concerned should make a wholehearted effort to preserve this traditional method of coconut oil extraction, otherwise like so many other traditional ways this will also go into oblivion,” she opined.
