PANJIM: Goa has lost 4.1 per cent of its total area to soil erosion, with Pernem and Bicholim Talukas suffering the most with loss of 80 tonnes per hectare per year, shows a study made the ICAR-National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning.
This was informed by Union Minister for Agriculture Narendra Singh Tomar in a written reply to TMC MP Luizinho Faleiro in the Rajya Sabha.
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The study further revealed that Pernem, Bardez, Bicholim, Sattari, Tiswadi, Ponda, Quepem and Sanguem Talukas had severe soil erosion — 20-40 tonnes per hectare per year and very severe — 40-80 tonnes per hectare per year accounting for an area of 26.9 and 22.0 per cent on the State, respectively. Further parts of Sattari, Salcete, Sanguem, Quepem and Canacona Talukas had moderate soil erosion — 10-15 tonnes per hectare per year and moderately severe — 15-20 tonnes per hectare per year accounting for 8.8 and 8.9 per cent area respectively in the State.
The Union Minister told Faleiro that the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)-Central Coastal Agricultural Research Institute (CCARI), Goa has studied soil health degradation and management from important horticultural crops like cashew, mango and coconut. On an average, soil loss from cashew, mango and coconut cropping systems were 24, 12.6 and 10.5 tonnes per hectare per year respectively. The run off loss as percentage of rainfall in cashew, mango and coconut cropping systems were 23 per cent 32.1 per cent and 23.8 per cent.
Faleiro wanted to know whether any soil health management studies were conducted in the State with respect to major crops of rice, coconut, cashew, arecanut, mango, spices, etc and the findings of soil degradation and whether there were any recommended technologies to remedy the invasion of saline water, soil erosion, physical degradation, chemical degradation, biological degradation, etc in the State.
