PANAJI
The ongoing dry spell and inadequate rainfall have disrupted paddy sowing in several parts of Goa, with many farmers yet to complete transplanting operations. Some cultivators have been forced to pump water from wells into their fields to prevent paddy saplings from drying out.
Paddy transplanting requires waterlogged fields, but the lack of rain has made it difficult for farmers to prepare the soil. “If transplanting is not completed now and the fields remain dry, the saplings we have nurtured will be damaged, causing losses,” said a farmer from Batim.
Farmers in several villages have started using pumps to irrigate their fields artificially.
“We are pumping water into the fields to complete transplanting and hoping that rainfall arrives in the coming days so that the crop survives,” the farmer added.
In Benaulim, water was pumped into fields belonging to St Baptist Church to help farmers carry out transplanting.
Agriculture officials have acknowledged the difficult situation but said the scattered rainfall received so far is adequate at this stage. However, farmers say each day without rain is delaying operations further and increasing their costs and worries.
The dry spell has already forced many cultivators to spend extra on pumping water, adding to expenses at a time when returns from paddy farming remain limited. Farmers are now hoping for heavy showers in the coming days to save the crop and ensure that the kharif season is not affected.
