The orphaned farms of Goa
"Kamati, tukam amche kidyak podla, Tuze xet aasa?" "Tu kalafurcho re, kay bhailo?" I had been heckled for telling the truth. By my own Goan brethern... I Know that I have no farmland, or a plot of land , even a house of my own.. but what I have is a vision of Goa, for Goans and their generations to come... Why blame the outsiders?. We build slums for them. What our blue blooded Niz Goenkars , esp the Goan farm land owners, tenant cum cultivators are doing?. They are taking crops of scrapyards, hutments, dance floors, garages in their farms… Vast tracts of farms on banks of Chapora/Colvale and Terekhol river have been leased out to deposit mountains of alluvial sand Paddy fields of Camurlim and Tuyem are mined for windowpane oyster shells to make lime in Sawantwadi Entrance to Mapusa and Margao from Panaji showcases how farms are being (mis) used.. In several suburban villages the annual "konsachem fest' has remained just a ritual.. where are the 'konsam?"... Within four to six years many villages like St. Cruz and Taleigao would not be left with any plot to get their konsam for the feast...but I'm sure these would be flown in from Bangkok Compare and contrast the picture… Farmers have land but are not willing to cultivate..despite a shower of subsidies Non farmers like me are willing to do intensive horticulture, but there is no land…nobody is willing to lease even a millimetre Farming doesn’t mean only rice farming. Many other crops can be cultivated profitably. It is a tragi-comic situation in Goa. Urban farmers in nearby Nagali Taleigao take 50 crops (fruits, flowers, vegetables, medicinal plants) Watch them in action http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJh-xGqz6hU View partially cultivated Salvador da Mundo khazans http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEQSMMvxDj4 now notorious for illegal pisciculture The Chorao Farmers club is doing very well. They even sell high quality packaged rice in attractive bags.Taleigao, Chorao are success stories… Those who don’t wish to cultivate just hold on to the land waiting for windfall income from conversion. The government has admitted that despite provision in tenancy act it doesn’t wish to assume the management of lands uncultivated for 3 years as per section 36. The lands can be then allotted to those willing to cultivate them. What’s the fate of this 400 hectares rice bowl in Curca-Santana valley, Tiswadi? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BqHar6ESrY And this one- the low lying Khazans between Taleigao and Dhakli Morombim?. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJh-xGqz6hU I alongwith others (Dilip Borkar, Victoria Fernandes, Sushrut Martins) had staged a rasta roko and went to jail on Aug. 25, 1988 . For two years (Oct. 1988 to Jan. 1991) I also appeared in the high court personally at my cost and argued a PIL ( one of the first in Goa) to ensure that Pantecantor, Chirculem , Novo bandh would not breach again and these farms would never get flooded again…but 1200 farmers of Calapur have let me down miserably, despite several motivational meetings. Today when I see familiar people from Merces and St. Cruz filling the low lying farms, I feel defeated. THESE ARE OUR OWN PEOPLE. The absentee landlordism needs to be stopped. Contract farming is not the solution. We need to follow the success stories of Taleigao and Chorao. The demand for local tropical fruits and vegetables is growing. The above orphaned areas can meet the need of whole taluka. It is a crime to keep the fertile land uncultivated. It is bigger crime to convert the land for parking fruit carts, godowns, dance floors, scrapyards, garages, farmhouses cum residential complexes…all the villages in Goa need to come out with their annual cultivation and cropping plans and punish those who keep their lands uncultivated. Let Calapur, Morombim farmers lease out their lands to Taleigao, Chorao farmers... The only megaproject which Goans could undertake is the megaproject of ploughing the fields again at all costs Farms of Goa are not just pieces of land on cadastral survey maps. They are living natural and cultural ecosystems. There may not be farmers' suicides in Goa. But ours would be the only society to commit a mass 'harakiri' by orphaning the fertile farms. The point of no return is reaching soon... The day Goan society commits itself to till, plough every mm piece of land , not by compulsion but by inner conviction, as a sacred duty would be golden day for Goa. Actually that is the real message of festival like 'chavath'-worship of Lord Ganapati. But who cares? Let us wait for that day... -- Dr. Nandkumar Kamat, GOA * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Goa-launch of the well-received *Into The Diaspora Wilderness* by Selma Carvalho on Aug 29, 2010 (Sunday) at 11 am at Ravindra Bhavan, Margao. Meet the author, buy a signed copy (only Rs 295 in Goa till stock lasts). http://selmacarvalho.squarespace.com/
