Making it a Mission: Fruits, Flowers & Vegetables. The winds of change are blowing all over the world. More and more people are turning vegetarian, vegan, and even fruitarian, by the day. It is a healthy way to live. It is also the simplest way of ensuring that hormones pumped into animals and birds to ensure quick weight gain do not do the same to you. Obesity and hormonal disorders lead to many debilitating diseases like diabetes and predispose one to physical problems.
Increased demand for fruits and vegetables at the current levels of production in India can be disastrous to the Indian economy. If the supply does not keep pace with the increasing demand, prices are bound to shoot up. Imports cost foreign exchange. Economist Adam Smith had put that down as the basic principle of demand and supply. We have economists as Prime Minister of India, Finance Minister and also as the Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission. They were quick to realize this. Hence, the establishment of the National Horticulture Mission or NHM. Everything starts with the Nursery stage. Two large, Government-run Plant Nurseries at Codar Farm-Ponda and Kalay Farm-Sanguem have been selected for upgrading to produce 4 lakh fruit plants per year. There is a window of opportunity for one small private sector nursery to obtain assistance for half the cost or up to Rs.1.50 lakhs and produce 60,000 plants per year by establishing 2000 sq.m.Net-house area with micro irrigation facility. In Goa, one can also avail of the State Sector Schemes for fencing, including live bio-fencing with Glyricidia, Jatropha, etc and for installing a power shredder to make compost of the nursery waste. Garcinia or Kokum has fired the imagination of the people once again. The traditional sol-kadi has received a new boost with the discovery of its cholesterol balance and lipogenesis control properties by Dr. Lowenstein. >From being classified as a minor tree spice it is now a full-fledged fruit. Cultivation of Mango, Garcinia, Chickoo/Sapota, Guava and other fruit trees now attracts 75% subsidy up to Rs.15, 000/- per hectare, i.e. 10,000 sq.m., towards cost of establishing the orchard. If one would rather grow bananas, the same amount is available as half the actual cost over a period of three years. Just call the toll free number 1551 of the Kisan Call Centre or any office of the Goa Directorate of Agriculture for further information. Medicinal plants and spices have been brought under the ambit of the NHM with Rs.11, 250/- as subsidy per hectare. The same holds good for cashew which used to attract a lower subsidy all these years. Cashew grafts were first introduced into cultivation in this state from June 1984, when the subsidy was a mere Rs.200/- per hectare for planting of seedlings. It was the pragmatism of Ramesh G. Joshi, then a Horticulture Development Officer of Assistant Director rank, that brought the grafted cashew into the system. I was the point man for this experiment as the junior most field officer in the cashew heart land, Bicholim. Ramesh Joshi retires as the Director of Agriculture in June this year. He may well preside over the creation of a new zonal office in Mormugao before he demits office. Certification of farm produce as Organic costs a pretty penny. Most rural farmers cannot afford the fee of the Certifying Agency. To encourage farmers to get their farm produce certified, the NHM grants up to Rs.5.00 lakhs as assistance for farmers having a cluster of fifty hectares farm area. The Goa Government has now become proactive and taken up the task of obtaining a Geographical Indication for feni. Individual cashew growers from remote Canacona, with the assistance of a cashew nut exporter, had earlier stolen a march by getting their cashew nuts certified as Organic by a foreign certifying agency. If there is a will almost anything is possible. Collection, grading, cold storage, processing, packaging, transportation and marketing are some of the difficulties faced by farm producers. The capital costs on equipment are rather high. The NHM provides a quarter of the cost on capital goods as subsidy. There is also a Central Sector Scheme for value addition equipment like the Garcinia fruit cutter, pulper, cashew juice extractor and drier. Areca nut is quite extensively grown in some parts of Goa. The leaf bases are ideal material for making plates and bowls. There is a subsidy of Rs.10,000/- available to procure a leaf-plate forming machine. The used plates make excellent cattle feed and is otherwise fully biodegradable. Two outstanding Officers of the Directorate of Agriculture have currently been sent out on deputation to the Goa Horticulture Corporation headed by the irrepressible Congressman, Girish Chodankar. Orlando Rodrigues, the new MD of the Corporation, is already making waves by selecting the Malcurada mango for sales promotion all over India and, perhaps, abroad. Ulhas Kakode, the experienced GM of the Corporation, is there by his side in this venture. Last year, Malcurada mangoes from Tato Dhargalkar of Siolim created ripples in England. Dr. Ajit Shirodkar has also initiated direct mango sales in the UK. The time is ripe for the Malcurada mango wave. The range of fruits and their juices, pulps, jams, wines as well as biodegradable plates available in Goa and the Konkan are to be seen to be believed. The annual Konkan Fruit Fest in the first week of May is one event when this is possible at one venue. It is an opportunity for various agencies, firms and individuals to come together at one festive venue for the love of fruits. Miguel Braganza This article has been published in the GT on 17 March, 2006 Directorate of Agriculture email ID is: [EMAIL PROTECTED] The financial year in India is 01 April to 31 March next. This is the right time to obtain the "Citizens' Charter" and to apply for the schemes at the relevant Zonal Agriculture Office in each taluka town, except Vasco[ where the Agriculture Minister has promised on 03 March, 2006, to create an office shortly and also sent a proposal to the Director in this regard]. Please have a copy of the land document in Form I & XIV or Form B handy while applying for benefits. _____________________________________________ Do not post admin requests to the list. Goanet mailing list ([email protected]) Help/Unsubscribe/Update your Subscription: %(user_optionsurl)s This email sent to %(user_address)s
