*M TECH DEGREE HOLDER RETURNS TO HIS ROOTS - AGRICULTURE - H* http://www.epaperoheraldo.in/Details.aspx?id=15337&boxid=33929&uid=&dat=9/4/2015
*COMMENTS:* If United States of America is the world's super power today, it is not because of it's military might. It is because of its AGRICULTURE. Goa was fortunate to have a Havard educated agriculturists as its 7 time CM in Pratapsing Raojee Rane. But Goa's agricuture has been beaten to dust compared to what it was in the pre-1961 years. The above article warms GSRP's heart since its intentions are to make Goa self relient in most of the vegetables/fruits and rice which it depends on the supply from the outside. This can be done if GOA'S COMUNIDADES are restored to their pre-1961 emenence as these are the agrarian institutions of Goa. Also, Goa needs a full-fledged Agriculture College. GSRP has vowed to do this in its ROAD MAP FOR GOA - available to download at www.goasu-raj.org Excerpts: *[XVIII] AGRICULTURE* *Goa must deliberate if Agriculture needs to be given the ‘Industry Status’* A new policy shall be introduced to encourage the setting-up of large collective co-operative farms by owners of contiguous farming lands/strips to form viable agricultural units. Organic farming shall be encouraged through Government subsidy to convert/recycle bio-degradable wastes. Agricultural low lying fields, specially paddy-fields shall not be allowed to be converted to horticulture or other activities by filling. Mining operations or dumping of mining rejects in agricultural lands shall be stopped altogether. (Example: Satari, Bicholim, Sanguem & Quepem Talukas). The existing ‘Tenancy Act’ (Land to the Tiller Act) shall be reviewed and revitalized and/or modified to encourage agriculture. *An Agriculture College or Institute shall be set-up in Goa.* Grazing tracks shall be defined and maintained and the movement of cattle on trunk roads and highways for grazing and watering shall be prohibited.. The effects of putting fallow agricultural lands under ‘Jathroppa’ cultivation/plantation for the promotion of the manufacture of non polluting bio-diesel in the State shall be actively studied and encouraged if found viable. *Explanation:* *It is the belief of this party that from the time that the Tenancy Act came into force, all agricultural lands have been exponentially neglected in the course of the years. Studies conducted and opinions gathered by the party indicate that the bonanza handed out to the “agriculturists”, where-under entire agricultural lands belonging to several owners, many of which, in numerous cases, ended up in the hands of a single individual who, overnight became one of the bigger land owners, without any obligation or accountability to a higher authority and without having to pay a market price for the land s/he obtained, has been the root cause for the malaise affecting today’s “agricultural” scenario. The smaller or the bigger land owners including the Comunidades, individuals, religious institutions played a preponderant role earlier, in ensuring that the person to whom the paddy field was leased would cultivate the same and ensure that the production was sufficient not only to pay the annual lease rent, but also sufficient to keep body and soul of the lease-holder in good cheer. There is nothing in the Tenancy Act, as it stands today, to enforce or even to verify the quantum of production in each paddy field and whether the cultivation being carried out, if at all, matches the potential of the concerned field. In many cases large tenanted lands has been transferred to so called agricultural co-operatives which are, in fact building and/or construction companies or firms in connivance with the Tenant and the Mamlatdar. Such lands have been subsequently sub-divided into plots admeasuring around 1000 square meters where posh bungalows are sought to be built under the guise of “farm houses” ( an exception to the building rules but protected under the Tenancy Act which has served well the tenant, the owner and the corrupt Mamlatdar). In other cases paddy-fields known as ‘Khazans” are being exploited for their fish potential, by deliberately breaking or breaching the ‘bunds” to allow entry of saline water.* *In the world of globalization, and GATT, we see a country like China in a position to export to India one of our major food staples namely ‘rice’ of good quality at a price of approximately Rs. 4 or thereabout per kilo. This is or should be a sign on the wall for the Government of India , more specifically for the Government of Goa (CAG report-‘Herald’- 17 Jan, 2005) * *We cannot have age-old practices being carried on, the results of which are there for every one to see. Man power in Goa is at a premium [at Rupees 15/- or more per day for a male and Rs. 100/- for a female in comparison to much less in neighbouring Kholapur district in Maharashtra] and yet this labour can be considered cheap in global terms, for the young generation does not wish to toil in the fields and even if they were willing to do so, we would still find that China would be able to export its agricultural produce to us at a lower price. The reason is that today’s economics mandates that holdings need to have a minimum acreage in order to be economically viable and scientifically exploited and developed, with multi-cropping practices reintroduced and/or new crops/fruit plants introduced for maximum utilization of land.* *Agriculture cannot anymore be labour intensive, not at least as far as Goa is concerned. It requires mechanization, where one machine shall carry out the task of 80 odd people. This requires size in the holding. We do not propose acquisitions and dispossession but we believe that we require legislation which shall ensure that contiguous tenanted agricultural properties starting with paddy fields as a first step, shall require to be brought under one management in a co-operative manner and where the law provides enough teeth to the Government to bring recalcitrant tenants/ owners or holders of fallow land in line with the scheme. We firmly believe that this is the path to the future and to a vibrant agricultural policy which shall convert the presently useless land into a bread basket for Goa, thus reducing, if not eliminating Goa’s near total dependence on imports of many essential agricultural produces from outside the State. * * [XIX] GAOKARIES [COMUNIDADES]* The Official authentic translation of the ‘Code of Comunidades’ which exists in the Portuguese language shall be fully translated into the English language and thereafter in Konkani for wider dissemination. Comunidade organizations shall be revived and revitalized to put them back on track by carrying out necessary amendments to the ‘Code’ to curb the powers of the Government, and laws whereby these institutions shall not only have full control over their owned properties that have been encroached upon, or those that have been taken away under the provisions of the Tenancy Act, so that they may be able to perform their obligations and relieve the Government of the financial burden to maintain bunds, gutters and all other functions that at one time the Comunidades used to perform without casting any onus upon the coffers of the Government and to relieve the entire population of Goa from paying in taxes for these past mistakes. *Explanation:* *The Code of Comunidades was the creation of the Portuguese regime which served the purpose, ostensibly, of protecting these ‘centuries old’ pre-Portuguese Institutions by enacting into law, what were hitherto only practices having the force of law which were already in operation in the Comunidades and which governed the relationship between the Comunidade as an Institution on the one side and its components, namely the gaokars [or share holders] on the other, as well as its relationship with the communities residing in the village who were not gaokars/shareholders. With modifications in such laws the Government assumed a paternalistic role as there were accusations of mismanagement and profiteering and various other disputes between the management of these Institutions and its components. This job of oversight by the Government did not come about gratis. The Comunidades were made to pay heavy taxes to the Government in proportion to their incomes in the form of “DERRAMA”. These Institutions were essentially agriculture-based. They did, however, hold other land in the village which was also utilized for grants (AFORAMENTOS) for the purposes of erection of residences, institutions, play grounds, or other activities of social importance. From the auction of the fruits of the orchards, and the cultivation of the paddy-fields by temporary lease-holders, the Comunidades would derive their main income. Only a fraction of this income was meant for distribution to the components and the share-holders. The remaining amount was spent on the maintenance of culverts, gutters, repairs of roads, bunds, financial help to the destitute for burial or cremation etc. Non agricultural land or uncultivated land was reserved to cater to the increase in the population. Each Comunidade had a plan (TOMBO) which indicated such lands meant for residences, with well demarcated plots and access roads, and it was from this reserved land that the grants were to be made for residences. Because of this important role in the village the Comunidades were known as “Village Republics”.* *From the day that the first Government came to be installed, these institutions became the targets for destruction, first by enacting the Tenancy Act where Comunidades and Religious Institutions (apart from the private landowner) were overnight dispossessed of all agricultural lands and later by programs such as the 20 point program and the regulations mandating grants of land for residences to all Government employees not having their residences in Goa. Obviously, the only people who benefited from these last two programs were the non-goans who were imported in their hundreds by the first elected Government. Subsequently, the remaining land became the target of government acquisitions for industrial estates, acquisitions for the purposes of industries being set up by public limited companies etc., and only a pittance was paid to these Institutions. With all this pillage, and depradations carried out by the successive Governments against these Institutions in the name of TUTELAGE as well as the greed of some gaokars, it is surprising that these Institutions still survive, though only in a truncated form.* *Courage is necessary to recognize that the Tenancy Act has not only not done what it was supposed to do, namely to improve agriculture, but on the contrary, has cast a tremendous financial burden on the Government of Goa. This needs to be rectified. Steps need to be taken in the interest of future prosperity, to not only increase agricultural production in the State but to drastically reduce the expenditures of the Government which has assumed the financial burden to carry-out works and maintenance earlier carried-out by the Comunidade in its own particular village. *
