Soaring vegetable prices, vanishing backyard produce and changing food habits are reshaping everyday kitchens in Goa, forcing families to rethink what they eat, buy and grow, while farmers, vendors and consumers struggle to keep pace
“Ma, I want Idli-sambar tomorrow for breakfast,” ordered Sumit as he left for school with his tiffin of bhaji-chapati. His mother, Neeta, became anxious to hear ‘sambhar’ because it required a variety of vegetables, half of which are not even available in the market. Last week she was shocked to hear her regular vendor tell the prices of drum-sticks and green peas which are the main ingredient to make sambar along with the other vegetables she uses – pumpkin, onion, potato, tomato, carrot, beat-root, gourd, french beans, sweet potatoes etc.
Green gold
Most vegetables are expensive these days, but the price of drum sticks really shocks you as a single stick costs Rs 25. A super food, drum sticks are not seen in the market and those who have them are selling four pieces for Rs 100 – which is all-time high. “It is green gold ma’am,” smiles the vendor as Neeta carefully chooses the longest, fattest and freshest piece from the bundle. She is aware that silver is all-time high as it crossed Rs 3 lakh per kilo mark, and gold is over Rs 1.45 lakh per 10 grams. “Still understandable, but veggies…?” wonders Neeta.
Currently the prices of most of the vegetables are high. Among the local vegetables like tambdi bhaji, mulo, bhende, chitki mitki, ratali, tendli, dodki and padval, only saat shirancho bhendo is expensive – five pieces for Rs 50, meaning Rs 10 for a single bhendo. The other regular variety of green bhindi, which comes from outside the State is relatively cheap. Of course, the rate fluctuates every day and it’s not the same.
Exotic prices
“Today, green peas are available for Rs 100-120 per kilo in Goa. But I remember when the price was Rs 200 per kg in Goa, the same were sold for Rs 20 a kilo in Prayagraj which tempted me to buy a 10 kg bag,” recalls Maya Nandey who brought green peas with her while returning from her tour. Exotic vegetables like coloured capsicum, broccoli, purple cabbage, purple radish, salad leaves are high prices, but there are buyers who prefer paying high. Middle-class consumers cannot afford these on a regular basis. Imported fruits are also pricey, as compared to locally grown and Indian ones.
Climate conditions
The prices depend on the climatic conditions too. Presently the farmers in Goa seem to be happy that their lucrative crops of mango and cashew will be good this year, due to the perfect temperature. “We are only worried of the excessive fog, which may spoil the blossom,” says a farmer from Sattari. The temperatures are falling in his area, which is a sign for the bountiful of mango produce. As the rains extended, the winter started late. But the cool weather benefits the mango and as there is still coolness in the air, the crop will be really good this time, he explains. Raw mangoes also fetch a good price. Currently a medium sized raw mango is available at Rs 25 per piece.
Road-side sellers
It’s a common scene to find nondescript men-women selling local vegetables and fruits on highways. But hardly a vehicle stops by to buy from them, that also after much bargaining. “We are forced to sit from morning till evening to sell our homegrown sweet potatoes, halsande, kaalinga (watermelons), popay (papaya), chibuda, tavshyo, kate konga etc. Naturally, we demand a higher rate, because it’s hard to toil in the fields to grow these,” says a woman sitting on the Nuvem bypass road. Her counterparts that sit in the city by-lanes often get harassed by the police, who want them to move. “But then where will we go?” asks Bhagirathi, who travels from Canacona to Margao daily with her small basket and sits under a tree with cucumber, coconuts, sola, dried chili and sweet potatoes.
Organic veggies
The vegetables that have ‘organically grown’ tag cost more in the market. These chemical-free and pesticide-free veggies are the first choice of health-conscious people who don’t mind paying a high price. Goan farmers are going organic, not because the produce fetches a good price, but to save their soil’s fertility. Sanjay Patil, an award winning organic farmer from Valpoi advocates the use of organic manure and natural compost, as use of pesticides and chemical fertilisers is detrimental to environment and human health, both. An experimental farmer Varad Samant from Dharbandora could successfully grow carrots, bhendi, chili etc in his ancestral farm. Farming is lucrative if the younger generation shows enthusiasm in toiling in the soil to reap rich dividends.
Consulting services
Yogita Mehra offers consulting services to farmers and kitchen garden growers to grow their regular vegetables on terraces, backyards or balconies and be self-sufficient. She herself is a regular participant at the local markets that offer homegrown produce, and which serve as platforms beyond buying and selling. “In times when communities seem to be drifting apart, supporting local growers is a simple and meaningful way,” she adds, as those who grow, get a place to sell and an interested buyer who values their farm-fresh produce, here.
Sharing with neighbours
Gone is the time when friendly neighbours sent a bunch of drumsticks, ambade, bananas, a papaya, a breadfruit (nir ponos) grown in their backyards as a normal gesture of sharing. The fact is most backyards now have dried up, with no caregiving and no time to water these trees. “In earlier we had a well and washroom out in the backyard and used water was supplied to the trees, thus keeping them naturally watered throughout the year. Now we don’t draw water from the well. Our bathrooms are inside, and water goes to soak pits. Most of our fruit growing trees including chikoo, toring and guava do not bear fruits. The only exception is our Mankurad mango, which fruits every alternate year,” shares Kanchan Zambaulikar from Margao. It’s a wakeup call for the Goemkars to utilise whatever space they have to grow at least a part of their food.
