Team Herald
MARGAO: In a remarkable initiative aimed at promoting agriculture, a group of farmers from Nuvem successfully brought nearly 50,000 square meters of fallow land under cultivation on Sunday.
What makes this effort significant is that this fields were lying barren for almost 25 years. The farmers group said that they could overcome their obstacles with the help of the Zonal Agriculture Department.
The Zonal Agriculture Office in Margao, led by Zonal Officer Shariff Furtado, extended full support to the farmers. Furtado, along with his team, witnessed the transplantation of paddy crops on the newly reclaimed land and urged the farmers to take full advantage of the various programs offered by the Agricultural Department.
Speaking to O Heraldo, Manuel Borges, President of the Nuvem ST Farmers Association, expressed their commitment to motivating the younger generation to embrace farming. "After convincing local farmers, we took a step forward in bringing this fallow land back into cultivation. We faced several challenges initially, but through determination, we've made it possible," Borges stated.
Furtado praised the efforts of the farmers, noting that 50,000 square meters of land had already been brought under cultivation. "The farmers are also planning to cultivate more than 1.5 hectares of fallow land in the coming days. It's an encouraging initiative, and the farmers are very serious about their commitment to agriculture," Furtado added.
He further encouraged the farmers to take full advantage of the benefits provided by the Department of Agriculture and assured them of continued support.
Everson Valles, a Congress leader from Nuvem, stated that the initiative to bring fallow land under cultivation began last year.
"Initially, it was on a small scale, but after the first harvest, it caught the attention of farmers. Following that, a proper water management system was implemented, and this facilitated the next step of bringing more fallow land under cultivation," he explained.
He further mentioned that many farmers have been encouraged to take up farming activities as a result. Additionally, he shared that there are plans in the pipeline to bring even more fallow land in Nuvem under cultivation in the near future.