news and pics by ARES
Daijiworld Media Network - Panaji (SP)

Panaji, Jul 21: The rains that soaked the state after an unexpectedly long dry spell, have brought smiles on the faces of the state farmers. They have started the work of planting seedlings in their fields across the state.

State director of agriculture S S P Tendulkar, speaking to PTI, said that the famers, who were desperately awaiting the rainfall, can go ahead with their activities as the rainfall has resumed. Paddy has been the major agricultural crop of Goa and it has either been the staple food or plays a considerable role in the food consumed by over 35% of the population in the state.

Even though the monsoon entered the state during the first week of June, it made way for dry weather within a few days. The dry spell stretched to over two weeks, making cultivators worry about the repercussions of the sudden change in weather conditions. Farming activities came to a halt and the agriculturists were praying for the rainfall to resume. The state has been receiving rains since a week now.

Revealing that the state has recorded a rainfall of 1051 mm, the director of agriculture said, that the rain so far received is insufficient for paddy crop cultivation. The rainfall should continue for many days at a stretch to be of any benefit to paddy crops, he explained. The farmers had postponed transplatation the crop due to the dry spell. The rain should continue for at least two months for the yield to be good, he explained.

Paddy cultivation in Goa is largely dependent on monsoons. Statistics revealed that 35,710 hectares of agricultural land in the state was under cultivation for the khariff season. For the rabi season, agriculture will be restricted to only about 17,000 hectares, director of agriculture stated.
 
Most of the farmers in rural Goa now thank the raingods, saying that if the dry spell had continued for a few more weeks, they would have suffered a lot. Rama Gaonkar, a farmer from Khola village in Canacona Goa said, that he was worried that the family would not be able to raise crops this year because of scant rainfall. We were waiting with crossed fingers after the rains made a hurried exit after the first week of June, he said.

The news that some border districts from Maharashtra were reeling under drought-like situation had made us panicky. We were resigned with a similar fate, 53-year-old Gaonkar stated.

Transplanting is now going on briskly. As the state has been steadily witnessing a slide in paddy productivity, the department of agriculture has drawn up plans to rejuvenate the farming activity in the state towards boosting productivity. The state's productivity was about 4,296 kgs of pady per hectare in 2005-06, slipping down to nearly 3,522 kgs per hectare last year.

The state director of agriculture said that the department has initiated several steps towards increasing productivity in agriculture. Agriculture contributes about 10% to the state's domestic product.