PANAJI
Around fifty farmers from the southern talukas of Quepem, Sanguem and Canacona have lost their rabi paddy crop due to the current spell of heavy showers and cyclonic winds.
"The weather has totally damaged their crop which was almost ready for harvest. We are working out to compensate them through the Shetkari Nidhi Yojna," Director of Agriculture, Sandeep Fol Desai told The Goan.
The farmers, some 25 of them in Quepem, 10-12 from Sanguem and around 15 from Canacona had cultivated paddy for the rabi season on an aggregate 10 hectares.
Their losses, factoring in both cultivation costs as well as the value of their crop based on average yield, is approximately Rs 9-10 lakhs.
According to Fol Desai, the monsoon last year was delayed and went on until early November because of which canal maintenance work was also delayed.
"So, rabi sowing operations of these farmers was also delayed which is why the harvest also got stretched to until now. But unfortunately it has now rained heavily and completely damaged their crop," Fol Desai said.
"There are no reports of damage to any other farming community in the State due to these cyclone-related rains. No damage to the seasonal horticultural produce either," he added.
Paddy farmers in Goa have often faced weather related adversities in recent years denting in a way the boost paddy farming got post the Covid-19 pandemic and significant increase in mechanisation of sowing and harvesting operations aided by subsidies from the Agriculture Department.
Last year, over 2,500 farmers from across the State faced crop damage in the Kharif season when extreme rainfall through the month of July flooded khazan and low-lying fields across the State. All these farmers who filed claims before their respective Zonal Agriculture Officers (ZAOs) were paid out compensation by the government to the tune of Rs 3.5 crore.
