An oldKonkani proverb highlights how a young boy refuses to accompany his grandfatherto the field claiming that he was too old but demands more food during suppersaying he was a young boy.
Similar isthe situation in 2012 with the youth not willing to till fields and farmers nowforced to employ young workers from neighboring Maharashtra. Even Mundkars (tenants) who have takenpossession from the landlord or the Communidade employ non-Goans to help themin the field.
Santan Diaswho cultivates 7,000 square meters of land at Camurlim-Raia stated, thatearlier his sons would help him in the fields during the monsoons but sincethey now worked in the Gulf he worked on the field with his wife.
“We cultivatethe fields in the monsoon and plant vegetables in the summer. We have neverbought rice from the market. We cultivate the fields to stock up for the entireyear and consume,” added Santan’s wife Jenny.
Farmerslike Santan are forced to employ young teens from Bijapur, Bhatkal, Hospet andother parts of Karnataka and Maharashtra who come to Goa during the monsoons toseek work in the fields. In fact 4000 workers form Karnataka work on Goanfields.
“Womencharge Rs 250 per day for transplanting while men charge Rs 400 per day. Theystart work at 8am and break for tea at 10 am and later take a break from 1pm to3pm and then work at a stretch till 6pm. Transplanting takes almost two weeksand then the women folk are needed once a month to pluck the weeds and theworkforce is brought in again in September to harvest,” stated Victor Gomes whogrows paddy at his Benaulim fields with the help of local women and migrantworkers.
RuleshChari who grows sugarcane in Sanguem says his kids refused to help him on theirsugarcane field and preferred their jobs in the police department and PWD. “Ibring in four workers from Bijapur who only talk Kannada. I provide them foodand stay during harvest and they help me cut the sugarcane before I sell it tothe Sanchayni Sugar Co-operative.”
Anotherfarmer Antonio Perreira from Borda speaking to The Goan explaining the transformationover the years said “Earlier we had our cattle to plough the fields or rentedcattle to run the ploughs. Now there are mechanized ploughs, harvesting andspraying units for pesticide and fertilizer. The man-power utilized has reducedby 80%. A tractor or mechanized plough can run through the entire field in afew hours similarly fertilizer or pesticide can be spread across the field in afew hours. Even transplanting is done through a mechanized machine.
