#TGLife
Deputy Chief Minister Chandrakant Kavlekar announced recently that the government plans to make Goa an organic farming hub. Last year, the then agriculture minister Vijai Sardesai had also made some efforts along these lines, and introduced 500 organic farming clusters in the state. The government has in the past talked about making the shift to organic farming, but farmers say there are many issues that need to be addressed beforehand.
Agricultural issues in Goa
Shortage of labour: Shortage of skilled labour, and shortage of processing units for the produce are some of the biggest problems Goan farmers face today. Tasks such as harvesting coconuts require skilled labour, and it is difficult to find men for the job. Time is a very important factor in farming. For instance, fertilisers have to be given to plants at a particular time in August, and at that time, finding labour is a problem. Plus, the costs of labour are very high, so that puts a dent in the farmer’s income.
Pricing problems: Farm produce does not get the right price compared to the efforts that are put into it. Agricultural products are perishable, and have to be sold off as quickly as possible. This is a factor that prevents prices of farm products from rising. Government subsidies are not helping in the mace of mounting production costs. A good solution to preserving the farm produce is to set up processing units that could help preserve products such as fruits for a longer time. But such processing units too will need continuous supply and good markets.
Land availability: Another important issue that faces Goan agriculture is related to land. Even as more and more land is converted to real estate for development purposes, agricultural production seems to be increasing. Agricultural production increases as new varieties of seeds are introduced.
What the government is doing
According to reports, the Department of Agriculture is working to ensure higher yield with local varieties. Officials undertake visits to different plantations and ask farmers to identify the strongest and best plants in their plantation. The seeds of this plant are kept separately and planted, thus sprouting stronger trees. The cycle goes on until one day, entire production from an orchard is from local variety.” Gaonkar stated, highlighting that this complete local production point has been achieved in coconuts, areca nuts, and okra cultivation in many areas of Goa. Last year the government introduced central government scheme ‘Paramparagat Krishi VIkas Yojna’ (PKVY) in Goa, and this year, its implementation in the field was undertaken. Under this programme, farmers will be trained to use locally available ingredients such as cow dung to improve soil fertility.
