PANAJI
As rains swept away plans of feasts and celebrations in villages and cities this week, predictions from Meteorological Centre Goa say the weather for the next few two days will be cloudy with a few spells of thundershowers.
The onset of monsoon did bring smiles on the faces of the farmer community but as the rains followed a zigzag pattern with patches of dry spells most of the time, worries replaced their smiles. The State’s agriculture economy is sure to be affected as crops bear the brunt of scanty rains and that’s what is worrying most farmers, especially from remote areas like Dharbandora, Dabal and Nirankal in the North and Sanguem, Quepem, Molkornem, Netravali and Poinguinim in South Goa.
For paddy, it is grain-formation time in some areas, panicle phase in others and critical growth stage in late-sown fields. A rain-deficit August and September -- crucial stages for paddy growth -- has hit the crop and production is likely to show a decline of 10-20 per cent according to farmers.
“It is not only paddy that gets affected due to scanty rainfall,” points out Nilesh Velguenkar from Dabal. He says, “if there is less rainfall, pests strike due to humidity and reproduce quickly as was seen in Goa this year, especially in banana plantations. The plantations are attacked by a green pest, called ‘banana skipper’ (Erionota thrax). This pest eats the leaves from the stalk, resulting in smaller size of the fruit while some plants may not bear fruits if the pest has attacked it too early.”
In Valpoi, the destruction has just started, but in other areas the plantations have already been ruined.
Shripati Sawaikar, an award winning farmer from Murge Dharbandora, is worried. Most of the 1000-plus banana plants in his plantation are infested with the pests. “I can’t even estimate my loss this year,” he says. Sawaikar who sells both, the fruits as well as the leaves which have great demand in the festive season, is still identifying bio-organic ways to control the pests.
The sugarcane crop too has been affected by scanty rains. The insect ‘mava’ that attacks the cane crop, gets washed away in heavy rains. But this year as the rains vanished after a first few showers, the pests multiplied. It thrives on the juice of the cane and thus the size shrinks.
“The arecanut, coconut, cashew or pepper crop will not be much affected, but crops like chilli and other vegetables would be affected due to scanty rainfall. Normally, there are pests on the crops but heavy rain in June-July usually washes away the larva, thus keeping the growth of the pests in control,” briefs Velguenkar.
The rains affect weed formation too. “If the rain stops for few days and there is sunshine, the weeds grow faster. Usually, farmers weed their plantations once before Ganesh Chaturthi. But this year I have already weeded my plantation three times and I will be doing it for the fourth time. Weeding is required as otherwise the fallen arecanuts get lost,” says Velguenkar whose expenses on labour have increased three fold.
The animal menace also has increased, especially in the last five years. They have been attacking plantations and destroying crops all the more. If there is plenty of rain, there is plenty of food in the forest for animals and birds, but less rain forces animals and birds out of forests.
The scanty rainfall will also affect the water table in the state. The groundwater level would be low which would adversely affect the crops in the next flowering season.
