BICHOLIM: After suffering losses during the last two years, the farmers from Mayem in Bicholim on Thursday said now they have a new challenge to face as the pigeons are seen destroying their sown seeds.
The farmers are also worried over the fact that since last 10 days there has been very little or no rains which they claim would further damage the crop.
“It was late in sowing the seeds and now since last few days there is very little rain, is a cause of worry,” a local Kashinath Mayekar said.
In Mayem, there is Mula Khazan, Sonarbhat Khazan and Shikeri Khazan, where many farmers cultivate their fields.
The farmers claim that they have to guard the fields and it is not possible to do so throughout the day.
“During the last two years there was heavy rainfall and most of the fields were destroyed. The government had promised to give compensation but Mayem farmers have not got anything,” Mayekar claimed.
They stated that the subsidy that they get on paddy is very less. The Agriculture Department supplies seeds such as Goa Dhan 2 and Goa Dhan 3, which gives high yield but the government is not buying this type of rice.
“There is high demand for Jyoti variant of paddy so the government should make hybrid of this variant which would help the farmers,” Mayekar explained.
Sarpanch Vishwas Chodankar also lamented on the fact that the pigeons are damaging the crop this year.
“Pigeons destroy entire field. If crop is spread in the field these pigeon eat away all the seeds. This year there will be loss for the farmers from Mayem as there is delay in the entire process,” Chodankar said.
