MARGAO
Chinchinim took yet another step on the agricultural front on Monday in its bid to regain its status as the granary of Salcete.
While the harvesting of the rabi paddy at the Digaum bandh was set in motion for the first time in three decades, the foundation stone was laid to cultivate the fallow agricultural fields at Patto near St Sebastian Chapel in the coming Kharif season.
That’s not all. Around 50 hectares of land, left fallow over the decades, both at Digaum bandh and at Patto, will be brought under cultivation from June 16-20, with Goa’s Paddy Man, Fr George Quadros saying that Chinchinim will be not only self-sufficient in rice production, but also be able to meet the requirements outside Salcete with this massive paddy cultivation.
Water Resources Department (WRD) Minister Subhash Shirodkar descended at Chinchinim on Monday to launch the ambitious project to bring the barren fields at Patto under cultivation during the kharif season. He has assured the farmers of the WRD’s unstinted support and cooperation to bring barren fields under cultivation. The farmers also handed over the corn harvested at Digaum bandh to the minister.
Fr George Quadros took the platform to announce the first-ever crop of the rabi season at Digaum bandh after 30 long years. “Last year, we had brought the Digaum fields under cultivation and the harvest was good, with each hectare recording a harvest of around 3.5-4 tonnes per hectare. The whole exercise was done mechanically. Labour was hardly used and we relied more on technology and machinery, including drones. There are hardly any weeds in the fields,” he said while complimenting the WRD Minister for providing the logistics, including the release of Selaulim water on time.
He added: “Encouraged by the Digaum bandh success, we have decided to double the cultivable area from 20 hectares to 30 hectares. Around 50 hectares of barren agricultural fields will be brought under cultivation in Chinchinim in the ensuing rabi season. This is going to be an example for other villages to emulate and adopt the same model and bring all agricultural fields under cultivation”.
President of Chinchinim farmers club and Chinchinim Communidade Agnelo Furtado expressed his satisfaction that the seeds sowed to bring barren village fields under cultivation have met with huge success, adding that the paddy was distributed at the doorsteps of the land owners.
