The Tabebuia tree project in Goa has helped connect families and forge friendships
Egidio Moniz (left) and Joaquim Moniz (right) present a Tabebuia sapling to Chico D'Lima (centre) at their ancestral home in Curtorim.
PANAJI
When a Goan agronomist based in Brazil became passionate about a tree native to that country and decided to promote it in Goa, little did he know that this project would lead to a fascinating collaboration of people from different parts of Goa and even in France.
Egidio Moniz was born and brought up in native village of Curtorim till the age of 7, before his father took the family to Bombay. Moniz studied in the Jesuit-run St Mary's School in Mazagaon and later pursued four years of BSc in Agriculture in Poona.
Moniz then returned to Goa and worked with the agriculture department for two years (1973-1975), before deciding to migrate to Brazil in July 1975, where he lives with his wife, Lourdes, their two sons and three grandchildren.
“In Brazil, I came across the Tabebuia tree, which is native to the Cerrado region in Brazil, where I have my farm ‘Fazenda Goa’ in Araguari-Brazil and produce my brand of coffee ‘Café Goa’ as my post-retirement occupation. I fell in love with this Tabebuia tree, which has beautiful flowers of pink, yellow, white and purplish varieties,” said Moniz.
“During the third month of the dry spell in this region of Brazil, which is around July, this tree sheds all its leaves, and it flowers in a very impressive manner. These flowers last for about 30-40 days here in Brazil.”
TABEBUIA PROJECT IN GOA
Moniz was very keen to take this Tabebuia tree to Goa, given his great fondness for Goa.
“About 15 years ago, I began this little project in Curtorum where we distributed about 150-200 seedlings of the Tabebuia tree. I procured the seeds of the yellow, pink and white varieties. My brother Joaquim helped me to grow the seedlings and we distributed among relatives, neighbours and friends. These seedlings have now grown into trees,” said Moniz.
He then got into a WhatsApp group for seedlings in Goa and a member had known about his experience with the Tabebuia trees and asked Moniz to narrate the story.
“When I shared my experience with the Tabebuia tree, Noella Pereira from Divar messaged me saying that she was passionate about this tree and had seen this tree in Old Goa. She wanted to find a nursery which had the Tabebuia seedling for her daughters,” said Moniz.
“I got in touch with Noella, and I was fascinated that there were others who were equally passionate about the Tabebuia tree. I agreed to make arrangements so that she would get the seedlings within a few months.”
“At the time (15 years ago), I had assumed Tabebuia trees did not exist in India, but I subsequently learnt that they were present in Pune and Bangalore. I got in touch with Noella and managed to get her Tabebuia seedlings from Pune last year,” he added.
Moniz then got interested in repeating the Tabebuia project in Goa.
“I got in touch with Marianne Nazareth from the WhatsApp group, and she managed to get the Tabebuia seeds of the pink, yellow and white varieties from Bangalore. She handed over the seeds to my sister-in-law, Maria Lena Sequeira in Porvorim, who in turn, took them to my brother, Joaquim, who has a nursery in Curtorim. Joaquim provided invaluable support to this project.”
By now, 54 people from the WhatsApp group showed interest in the white and yellow Tabebuia seedlings.
“Fr Valerian Vaz, rector of the Saligao Seminary, got involved in the project and very kindly offered to keep these seedlings. The seedlings to be distributed to people in Bardez were kept with Fr Valerian, while seedlings for people in Salcete were kept with my brother's nursery in Curtorim.”
FRENCH, GOAN COLLABORATION
Moniz had planned to handle the Tabebuia project by himself, but he was in for a pleasant surprise when he received support from a Goan woman in Paris.
Dr Aida Dourado receiving the Tabebuia sapling from Joaquim Moniz at Curtorim.
“Donna Alvita Fernandes, originally from Assolna but presently based in France, was very keen to get actively involved in our Tabebuia project. She very kindly provided funds for the sacks, strata, workforce and the other initial expenses,” acknowledged Moniz.
At some point, Moniz said the seedlings were not growing properly in Goa.
“I got in touch with well-known farmer Nestor Rangel. I had sought his professional services, and he went to Curtorim. But here is the goodness of these people associated with this Tabebuia project. Rangel took some strata and special fertiliser to Curtorim but refused to charge us,” said Moniz.
Moniz said he had one condition to the 54 people who were to receive Tabebuia seedlings during the second project.
“I requested them that in four years when their trees produce seeds, they should make 4 seedlings of each variety and distribute them among friends and relatives, so that it would have a multiplying effect.”
TABEBUIA CONNECTS PEOPLE
Moniz said the Tabebuia project had led to a fascinating collaboration of people from two continents and across different parts of Goa.
“The most remarkable part of this Tabebuia project was that so many people came together and collaborated by offering different kinds of support. There was a tremendous connect with people with this beautiful tree, and this was the goodness that the Tabebuia project brought about. The Tabebuia tree project in Goa has connected families and forged friendships,” said Moniz.
In a novel project initiated by Egidio Moniz, an extremely rare variety of the Green Tabebuia will be grown in Goa for the first time.
“The Tabebuia, native to the Cerrado biome in Brazil, is one of Brazil's very popular trees and they come in beautiful yellow, white, pink and other shades of pink. But there is a very rare variety, the Green Tabebuia. So rare that I have been living in Brazil for 48 years and I have never ever seen even one Green Tabebuia,” said Egidio Moniz.
“I managed to get 59 seeds of this Green Tabebuia, and we put them in our nursery in Curtorim on January 12. Only seven seeds that have germinated, a treasure of this rarity for Goa.”
Moniz said these seven seedlings of the Green Tabubeia will be distributed to very special people on August 11.
“There will be a special prayer ceremony at our ancestral home in Curtorim and these seven seedlings will be handed over as a homage to my younger brother Avito, who passed away in September 2023.”
“We hope to grow the Green Tabebuia in Goa and after 4 years, we should get some more seeds and distribute it to others. Probably, there may be more Green Tabebuia trees in Goa than in its native Brazil,” Moniz added.
