Shoma Patnaik
Panaji
Goa’s paddy output increased marginally to 1.17 lakh tonnes in 2025-26 from 1.14 lakh tonnes in 2024-25, with the increase attributed to a modest improvement in yield and higher production during the kharif season. Production during the rabi season remained more or less stagnant at 3.7 lakh tonnes.
According to the latest statistics released by the Directorate of Agriculture, rice production in 2025-26 stood at 7.8 lakh tonnes, compared with 7.6 lakh tonnes in 2024-25. Production of other crops, including pulses, pepper, kokum and sweet potato, increased marginally to 4 lakh tonnes, 3.6 lakh tonnes, 8.3 lakh tonnes and 2.6 lakh tonnes, respectively.
Vegetable production also increased moderately to 1.12 lakh tonnes from 1.1 lakh tonnes in 2024-25, despite growing interest among farmers in vegetable cultivation, which is considered more income-generating than rice cultivation.
The decline in paddy output in recent years has been attributed to extreme weather conditions, including prolonged dry spells followed by heavy rain. Low yields due to poor-quality seeds and outdated farming methods are also among the issues faced by cultivators. In 2024-25, paddy output dropped sharply due to unfavourable weather despite an increase in the area under cultivation in both seasons.
Paddy cultivation is primarily undertaken during the monsoon months, with the kharif season accounting for about 70 per cent of output, compared with the winter season. The main paddy-growing talukas continue to be Salcete, Quepem, Tiswadi, Bardez and Pernem.
This year, delayed monsoon and deficient rainfall have pushed back the kharif season by nearly a month. Farmers are concerned about the harvest due to the impact of slow rainfall during sowing and transplanting.
The Agriculture Department is relying on the distribution of high-yielding seeds and mechanised farming to increase paddy output during the ongoing kharif season.
