Fr George Quadros the paddyman of Goa Single handedly with a foresight and vision he has embarked on a mission putting the Agricultural Dept on a notice.The tenancy Act which was intended to usher in green agricultural revolution failed to take off .The intial euphoria of land to the tillers failed to inspire the farmers to expected heights of production and selsufficiecy As there was no clause to revert the ownership if land were left fallow the malaise of despondency has set in The staff of the Dept are ensconced in the ivory towers of beauracracy without ear to the ground.They did precious little to motivate on the field in any aspects of Agriculture as they themselves had not felt the wonders of earth or soil their hands with dignity of labour .Most of the schemes were locked in their files gathering more dust.The economic level of families improved drastically so that they migrated from rural areas to cities abandoning their ancestral fertile lands in search of greener pastures.Farmers children with education no longer were rooted to their traditional profession of farming for a living.The crops depending on seasonal rains were encountering a great risk The crop insurance a measure was not an attractive solution loaded heavily against the farmers.The water canals built at a cost wherever they existed were dry serving as decoratie, ornamental necklaces ,The traditional methods of ploughung ,use of fertilisers, harvesting, storig of seeds, .pesticides along with ever escalating cost of scarce farm labour, inputs etc made farming of paddy uneconomical . Further cheap ration quotas people did not see the need to cutivate their own crops.The Govt seeing the over dependence on necessary food supplies tried to motivate farmers with incentives and subsidies . Most of the incentives were cumbersome and overdrlayed making them redunted .The cattle menance was overcome by fencing subsidy and water canals being charged here and there that led to two crops and rotation and security of plants and paddy In this circumstances Fr.George Quadrops with his vision arrived on the scene at the crucial juncture. . His initiative galvanised farmers by introducing mechanization on- a limited small scale.It was not only economical but freed drudgery of maual labour and over dependence of seasoal farm labour . Fr. Quadros with dedicated devotion built his infrastructure without any financial facility. Besides he has built a dedicated team of highly qualified professionals to carry forward his vision of commitment His results have convinced the farmers about viability and feasibility of the process economically by mechanization at all levels A mild and approachable farmer priest has worked wonders attracting willing followers, . Farmers clubs ,enhancing greenery and putting fallow fields to productive use and thus helping Govt etc.Fortunately Govt has recognised his selfless efforts , contributions and promptly settles subsidies on behalf of tennants. The Govt has profusely acknowledged his commitment as he has achieved what Govt failed to do with resources and administrative advantage and manpower. His movement has been so contagious that he and his team have spread these operations both in North and South He has auguented his operations with new and advanced tools and presently unable to meet the demand of requests. There is defiitely a limit as to how far he can stretch as single individual with band of committed individuals to the cause who have sacrificed lucrative professional careers for a noble purpose of Agricultural revolution .His initiative if it increases and leads to cascading effect of drawing more entrepreneurs to the scene then Govt should step in He should be enrolled with his field experience to promote such ventures with the help of financial schemes like industrial promotion Other areas like aviary, floricuture, pisiculture . Animal husbandry , horticulture etc be envisaged Goa is heavily dependent on neighbouring states to provide its needs and self-sufficiency be an achievable goal Goa is increasingly becoming a residential paradise with able to meet food requirements and increasing settlements drain natural resources like water .electricity, land and roadways In appreciation and acknowledgement for his motivations , contributions for agricutural revolution the Govt of Goa honours him with a well deserved title of PADDYMAN OF GOA
Nelson Lopes Chinchinim https://lopesnelsonnat.wordpress.com Nelson Lopes Chinchinim https://lopesnelsonnat.wordpress.com
