Goa’s seasonal uptick in vegetable production during the winter season benefits farmers as well as consumers, writes Bhiva P Parab
Winter months in Goa are the time to ditch vegetables coming from Belagavi and enjoy locally grown vegetables. It is the season when vegetables cultivated in the post-monsoon months such as mulo, gadde or naaba, chavali palo and tambdi bhaji make their way from the fields to various markets of the state.
Goa has limited land for cultivation, yet winter is the period when farmers owning to a salubrious weather get energized to cultivate enthusiastically. For a brief period the cultivation of local vegetables increases and there is a slight decrease in the volume of vegetables coming from outside.
According to vendors, residents prefer to buy locally grown vegetables for daily consumption during all months of the year. However the major supply of vegetables to the state invariably comes from Belgaum. In fact Goa is entirely dependent on Belgaum for the procurement of daily requirements of vegetables. However the scenario is changing as Goa has slowly started expanding its horticulture base. The local vegetable growers are doing profitable
business, said vendors.
On the prices front however, there is no respite to consumers. Five pieces of mulo are sold at Rs 20 to Rs 50, depending on the size, while tambdi bhaji is also priced at Rs 20 to Rs 50 per bunch. The humble naaaba vegetable is priced at Rs 15 per piece, while the shegul leaves are sold at Rs 20 per small branch.
The farmers who cultivate vegetables in the state hardly use chemical pesticides as most have small fields and practice the traditional system of mix- cropping which results in less pest attacks. In contrast the vegetables which come from outside the state are cultivated on commercial basis and they mostly follow mono-crop cultivation on vast fields. Farmers from neighbouring states use synthetic pesticides, according to the information available from the sources.
A farmer said, “The vegetables which come from outside the state capture the major part of the demand but they do not taste as good as local vegetables. When there are small fields with mixed farming there are various crops cultivated in the same field such as green vegetables, chilly, corn, marigold flowers, etc. Crops of a particular species grown together are more prone to a particular type of pest infestation, but when different varieties of crops are grown the chances of pest infestations is reduced. For example marigold flowers when planted as part of the small mixed crop attracts an insect which lays its eggs on the flower petals. When the marigold flowers are plucked the eggs are also destroyed. It reduces the pest attack on the
other vegetables.”
It may be noted that some farmers chose organic farming which faces good demand from consumers. Organic farming helps in protecting the long term fertility of soils.
The use of pesticides have become an inevitable input and constitute an integral part of modern crop management practices, however the use of this continuous and indiscriminate pesticides also can induce health impacts and also contaminate soil. According to a farmer, when the fields are small like in the Goa state, farmers normally don’t buy large quantities of synthetic pesticides or fertilizers and they use organic fertilizers like cow dung and
wood ash.
The prices of vegetables that are locally grown or those coming from outside the state fluctuate in the markets of the state. The local vegetables prices varies according to the quality and size and the prize also depends on the quantity available. The demand for the vegetables determines. With local vegetables always in demand, farmers enjoy good rates.
Cultivation of vegetables in the winter season is mainly from December to March, after harvesting of paddy is over. Farmers who grow rice during the kharif season begin preparation for vegetable cultivation in December. The Goa State Horticulture Corporation Ltd. (GSHCL) sells vegetables to consumers at subsidized rates through its 1,026 outlets. The corporation purchases vegetables from the Belgaum market as well as from Goan farmers and resells it to consumers.
Certain vegetables like onion, potato, tomato, cauliflower and cabbage are not grown locally, but for the indigenous vegetables there has been an uptrend in local procurement,” according to GSHCL officials. Production of locally grown vegetables in the state grew 18 per cent in 2022-23, according to the directorate of agriculture.
