Goemkarponn desk
CANCONA: With rains arriving ahead of the normal schedule, the farmers all over Canacona are busy tilling their land since last week.
For some, the pre-monsoon rains brought by the Tauktae cyclone in mid-May, may have brought headaches, but for the majority of the farmers in Canacona taluka it’s a blessing in disguise and all of them are seen busy in their fields since last week.
Farmers feel that it will be a good rainy season and they are hopeful of a good harvest.
Farmers are preparing their fields to grow paddy, vegetables, chillies and seasonal fruits.
Considering that the chillies grown in Canacona has a recognition by the Geo, Canacona farmers are all set to sow chilly seeds.
Chillies from Canacona are grown in a unique style and the method has not changed since it started, however, no records are available of when this method was started. The chillies have a unique flavour and taste and commands a rate of seven hundred per kg and more.
These chillies are grown on the hill slopes of the taluka and after harvesting for 2 or 3 times the farmers move to another place which is
then been cleared to sow seeds.Due to this unique practice these chillies has gained popularity widely.
Besides chillies the farmers also grow other vegetables like cucumbers, melons, maize etc.
In olden days these vegetables were more popular as they were grown only by using natural fertiliser such as cattle urine & dung and leaves mulching, but now a days the same farmers are alleged to be using inorganic fertilizers and pesticides. Besides this tuber crops are also grown on a large scale in and around Canacona.
Most of these farmers sells their goods on the NH66 which goes through the taluka, which bring them good profit.
“The Paddy cultivation, now has been a family affair, with the entire family working in the field. As we can’t afford the labours due to the high price they demand” said local farmer.
Tolu Gaonkar from Gaondongrim while speaking with Goenkarponn said that the labourers are demanding high wages and it’s very difficult to pay them to cultivate paddy as it is not a commercial crop, through assistance from the agricultural department we have got tillers otherwise, it would have been impossible for us to continue to grow paddy he said.
Many farmers informed that the staff of Canacona agricultural office are very helpful and motivate them to continue the practise.
Kirtiraj Naikgaonkar ZAO of Canacona informed that he is hopeful of a good harvest this season. Paddy will be grown on a total of 1800 ha of land, while vegetable cultivation will be undertaken on 250 ha of area in the taluka. And 17 ha will be under mechanised transplantation, informed Naikgaonkar.
