the goan I network
CANACONA
Sardesai was speaking to media persons in the presence of Goa Forward officials at the Government Rest House in Sheller-Canacona on Saturday, after inspecting two polyhouses cultivating orchids and gerbera in Canacona.
Sardesai along with Director of Agriculture Ulhas Pai Kakode, Dy Director Sandeep Phaldessai, Canacona ZAO Shivram Naik Gaunkar, Goa Forward Party officials Mohandas Lolienkar, Prashant Naik and Dilip Prabhudessai, visited the orchid polyhouse of Vishal Dessai at Ponsulem and the gerbera polyhouse
of Ajit Pai at Khawat-
Poinguinim.
“The concept of orchid plantation was established in the State by three companies. It is a very good concept, but has been implemented without proper studies. Forty farmers had invested heavily in orchid plantations and are now in financial trouble and at the mercy of bankers,”
said Sardesai.
“The polyhouses were not constructed in time and neither were saplings provided to farmers at the right moment. Now, the 40 farmers are struggling with their bank loans. Marketing was not given proper attention,” he added.
Suspecting something fishy with these three companies, Sardesai then directed Director of Agriculture Ulhas Pai Kakode to file complaints against all three companies for putting 40 farmers into financial debt with the banks.
Earlier, many farmers who had built polyhouses to cultivate orchids and other flowers narrated their problems to the agriculture minister and also gave him a memorandum.
