PANAJI
The mandarins in Goa’s agriculture department have been at wits ends for decades to come up with ideas to revive paddy and other cultivation to turn thousands of hectares of fallow land green and productive again.
Now after years of tasting little success, a simple incentive scheme introduced some five years ago is beginning to show results. Agriculture officials said 130 hectares of paddy fields lying fallow across the State are now being cultivated regularly and the transformation has come about over the last five years.
“Ninety-seven farmers have restored their farm land and in the bargain have collectively got the benefit of direct cash transfers to the tune of Rs 20 lakh,” an official said, adding that 130 hectares of paddy area has now turned green over five years.
The scheme involves a one-time assistance of Rs 10,000 per hectare and another Rs 15,000 in grants. These subsidies are available for tilling and weeding and officials attribute it as a major factor behind these farmers turning back to their fields.
Over the last five years, Rs 36.5 lakh was allocated for this particular scheme in annual budgets and Rs 20 lakh went as outgo in subsidies and grants to these 97 farmers who collectively brought 129.28 hectares of fallow land under cultivation.
Last year seven new farmers joined the scheme and 3.71 hectares was brought under cultivation. This year Rs 5 lakh has been sanctioned and almost Rs 60,000 has already been disbursed, the official said.
The scheme was introduced in 2019-20 and in the first year itself 13 farmers took the plunge who cultivated 19.43 hectares of fallow land. It cost the department Rs 2.88 lakh in payouts to these farmers.
In the second year (2020-21) 11 more farmers got lured who tilled approximately 21.97 hectares of fallow farmland. The total outgo in incentives also rose to Rs 3.17 lakh.
In 2021-22 more than two dozen farmers joined the gang and brought 54 hectares of more fallow farmland back to life and list added another 16 farmers cultivating 16.32 hectares in 2022-23.
Last financial year (2023-24) again the scheme lured another two dozen farmers who brought 13.85 hectares of farmland back to cultivation.
The fair success of the scheme has encouraged the department’s officials who said they however are handicapped with no availability of any detailed surveys and maps of idle agriculture land to push farmers to green the fallow land in a targeted manner.
