Team Herald
PONDA: Farmers from Ponda taluka have complained that the increasing cost of cultivation and crop losses suffered due to the damage caused by breaching of bhandaras, entry of saline water, heavy rains, wild animals and cattle have forced them to keep their paddy fields fallow.
It is pertinent to note that some two decades ago most farmers were engaged in paddy cultivation, which yielded bumper crop. At present paddy cultivation has declined with most of paddy fields kept fallow due to various reasons.
The Ponda ZAO officials confirmed that at present around 50 per cent of the paddy fields in the taluka are kept fallow. The officials said government provides several schemes including machineries at subsidised rates.
However , according to farmers, despite government schemes they are facing a lot of difficulties in recent times. Farmers say paddy cultivation needs to be revived and government first needs to understand the problem of the farmers at the ground level and hold discussions with them.
An engineer engaged in traditional paddy cultivation said it is now easy to cultivate paddy with government schemes and subsidies. The Modern machines have reduced the hard work. However these schemes should reach the farmers.
According to Shekhar Naik from Priol, officials need to meet the farmers in the villages and understand their problems. For past few years, the saline water and heavy rains have affected farming activities. He said government needs to create awareness among the farmers of various schemes and encourage them and especially the youth.
He said mechanized farming is not possible at all places due to various reasons. Some farmers cannot avail Krishi cards due to land ownership issue. In the past there was community farming in vast tracts of land with individual farmers having small piece of the same and all used to cultivate. Now, many farmers don’t come forward due to various reasons and as a result despite having interest, individual farmers cannot go for farming as it requires fencing the entire field which was once done by all farmers. Further many Khazan lands are located along side river and in case the bhandaras breach it is not feasible to bear the cost of repairs.
He said for over a decade ago most farmers’ children have taken up government jobs. They feel shy to work in the fields.
A farmer from Kavlem said his son, who is a government servant, has no interest in farming.
The farmers said he and other elderly farmers are willing to continue the traditional paddy cultivation but cannot take up the same due to old age. Another farmer said the high cost of labour is another issue.
“We have to rely on migrant labour force and paying high wages is not affordable to us. We incur crop losses due to damaged caused by heavy rains, wild animals and cattle. Farmers get a meagre amount compared to that invested in paddy cultivation.”
