Kelavade farmers say Rs 35 per kg for lady fingers is unreasonable

VALPOI: Accusing the Agriculture Department officials of not providing them with pesticides and other facilities despite several complaints, the farmers from Kelavade village have demanded that the government provide good price for lady fingers as they claimed that the current price of Rs 35 per kg is unreasonable. 

They also complained of not getting good quality lady finger seeds in Agriculture Department and added that the farmers have been getting the same from Belgaum. The farmers also demanded a special subsidy scheme for lady finger cultivators.

Kelavade is one of the villages in the State which is famous for vegetables cultivation especially the lady fingers. There are around 70 farmers in this village growing different types of vegetables and of these, 20 have been cultivating the lady fingers and supplying them to the Goan Horticulture and to Goan vegetable markets.

According to Kelavade village farmers, they have been cultivating the lady fingers in village for the past two decades. The farmers say they have been supplying tonnes of lady fingers to the Horticulture Department. The farmers further claimed that despite working hard they are not getting what they expect from the Government. 

“I am cultivating the lady fingers in our village for almost two decades. And annually in have been supplying two-and-half tonnes of lady fingers to the Horticulture Department. But we are not getting reasonable price for lady fingers or any help from the Government. Keep aside all subsidiary schemes of government in the agriculture sector we are not getting the simple fertilisers and pesticides from Agriculture Department,” complained Nakul Pikulkar, a farmer.

“This year my lady fingers cultivation was destroyed by insects. I visited the Agriculture Department for pesticides. The officials from Valpoi ZAO said they no stock of pesticides at present, complained Sulakshana Suryakant Gawas.

“Due to the lockdown now there is the good demand for lady fingers in the state vegetable markets. Now, the Horticulture Department officials are visiting in our village to buy lady fingers and other vegetables. Otherwise, we have to visit the department. But they are not providing us with good price. At present they are providing us only Rs 35 per kg which is not reasonable. So the Kelavade farmers have demanded that the government provides us good price for ladyfingers, said Abhay Gawas, a farmer.