Goemkarponn desk
Canacona: Polyhouse farming, launched with much fanfare five years ago in Canacona, is yet to supply farmers with rich dividends that was promised by the polyhouse fabricators, forget about the assured rich dividends, farmers say that this business has brought them and their families on the road.
On paper it was projected that a polyhouse of 4000 square meters will earn lakhs of rupees in profits and overnight the farmer who dares to do it will be a millionaire in quick time.
Over 30 promising entrepreneurs from Canacona came forward to reap those rich dividends and offered their land at a blink of an eye signing on the dotted lines without even reading what papers they are signing brought to them by the approved polyhouse fabricators.
The polyhouses got built at the cost of about 35 lakh rupees, other infrastructure and plantation material in case of Orchid cultivation costed another equal amount.
An affected farmer informed this correspondent that during orientation which was held in the conference halls of five-star hotels the farmers were told that the poly houses are 100 percent subsidised and there is no investment from the farmers side, this attracted most of the farmers who opted for the horticultural hi-tech farming.
The same farmer added that the contractor tied up with a particular bank to raise loans as the promised subsidy of 100 percent was supposed to be reimbursed to the same bank in 3 to 6 months maximum and they will have to pay an minimal interest on the principal loan amount for that period.
Eventually the subsidy which got delayed in some instances to more than a year was 90 percent before the tax for polyhouse and the infrastructure and plantation material attracted only 50 percent subsidy before tax.
That left the farmers to pay more than 20 lakh of rupees to the bank.
Somehow the so called hi-tech business started and when the orchid flowers bloomed the farmers were surprised to know that the market rate was no were near the promised rate per stalk of the orchid flowers.
The orchid farmers realised that in fact they got cheated and the polyhouse fabricator who had assured them that he will assist them to sell their produce deserted them.
Most of the polyhouse owners in Canacona say that they were disillusioned and have called it a day, courtesy they say is the lack of governmental support, viable markets, technical know-how and a plethora of other issues.
Vishal Desai who owns and runs his business successfully says that “This is one sector where you need to pump in money to make money. Getting a subsidy is easy. But there’s more to it than that. The farmer himself needs to have a crystal-clear idea of what is needed in a polyhouse. It is safer not to depend on others,” Desai informed.
“High operational and maintenance expenses and mounting bank debts continue to haunt polyhouse farmers, for many of the polyhouse farmers in Canacona they are not in a position to even replace the polyfilm which was blown away in the cyclonic winds a few years ago, they need financial support to stand again” Desai said.
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