MARGAO
Chinchinim took yet another big stride in its bid to bring lakhs of square metres of fallow fields back to agriculture after transplanters and tractors rolled into the Patto fields adjoining St Sebastian Chapel along the National Highway-66 on Saturday.
An initiative of the Chinchinim Agricultural Club with the support and assistance of the Paddy Man of Goa, Fr George Quadros, around six transplanters and four tractors worked nonstop on Saturday to get around 1.70 lakh square metres of fallow land under cultivation. Take note, the Agricultural Club has set a target to cultivate around three lakh square metres of fallow fields at Patto.
The Chinchinim Agricultural Club made news last year after the Digaum bandh fields, lying fallow for decades, were brought under cultivation. Buoyed by the Digaum bandh success, the club has got farmers together, and with the help of Fr George, brought the fallow fields at Patto under cultivation.
Fr George said mechanisation is the only solution to the issue of fallow agricultural fields across Goa.
“Manual transplantation would not have been possible with the fields not yet playing host to water. We know that the weather conditions will give rise to weeds, but we are confident of tackling the menace with the help of drones,” he added.
Zonal Agricultural Officer, Sheriff Furtado praised the Chinchinim Agricultural Club and Fr George for taking agriculture forward.
Chinchinim Agriculture Club president Agnelo Furtado said the fallow fields at Patto have been taken up for cultivation this time while appealing to farmers to bring the remaining fallow fields under cultivation.
Expressing satisfaction over the revival of farming in the constituency, Velim MLA Cruz Silva said the agricultural activity should help bestow on Chinchinim as the model agricultural village.
