Once a dominant occupation in Goa, farming is dwindling at a rapid pace and faces a bleak future despite various schemes and subsidies floated by subsequent governments.
Of an estimated 36.11 lakh hectares of cultivable paddy-land existing in the State, less than 13 lakh hectares is known to be sown intermittently between two seasonal cultivations of Kharif and Rabi.
Goa is known to depend heavily on both neighbouring states for almost all food-grains, cereals and vegetables but given past and present trends, not many Goans are ready to undertake farming on a commercial level.
A farmer from the Canacona municipal area, who quit farming altogether after selling his fields, had this to say: “What is the use of keeping barren lands, when our children like others, are not showing any inclination in farming and are more interested to go abroad and are on look-out for government jobs?”
Canacona taluka is known to officially have a figure of over 3,500 farmers who, in one way or another, were reaping farming benefits, even though many paddy fields associated with these farmers have been fallow, while other farmlands have vanished in favour of development and urbanization.
Ever since there has been a decline in farming activities, the local agriculture office considers barely 2,500 hectares for Khariff crop cultivation, which according to sources, is only around 20 to 25% of what was previously cultivated in the taluka. “Incidentally, many paddy fields officially considered as under cultivation are actually lying fallow in this region,” informed a source.
Despite various inducements by the government, various factors have been associated with the dwindling farming activity in Canacona. They include unavailability of labour, high production costs with low income, diversion of workforce into the lucrative tourism trade and the government subsidy of providing rice to the working class at just Rs 3 per kg.
“This discounted rice is mostly reaped by residents, who otherwise are primarily engaged in farming or paddy cultivations as their prime occupation for sustainability. When this workforce gets enough rice throughout the year, why would one need to engage in the tedious job of cultivating paddy fields?” asks Narayan Dessai, a teacher by profession.
According to zonal agricultural sources, over 3,500 families were involved in cultivating paddy during the Khariff season a few years ago and this figure has further dwindled to barely a thousand families. And if the same sources are to be believed, these figures further drop to just about 25 to 30% in the Rabi season in the taluka, despite the fact that the Chapoli dam alone has the capacity to cater to about 40% of rabbi paddy cultivation in the taluka.
