Roque Dias
Margao
In an effort to modernise Goa’s farming sector, the agriculture department has decided to commence a Digital Crop Survey (DCS) across the state during the kharif season starting August 1 to combine land records and crop information into one
simple system.
This follows successful completion of a pilot project in the villages of Raia, Old Goa and Surla in December 2023 covering a total of 6,000 land parcels.
The agriculture department has appointed approximately 200 temporary surveyors and will soon add another 200 to conduct the survey across lakhs of land parcels, spanning 425 revenue villages in 191 panchayats. The survey is scheduled to be completed by
September 15.
According to Director of Agriculture Chandrahas Desai, the central government has launched Agristack, a digital initiative designed to modernise the farming sector and provide a unique digital identity.
“The survey will integrate land records, crop details and government benefits into a single system, thereby making farming more transparent, efficient and farmer-friendly,” he said.
Assistant Director of Agriculture Saieesh Gandhi said, “We have acquired data from the Directorate of Settlement and Land Records. Surveyors will visit sites to capture geo-tagged photographs and record crop data via a mobile application, which will subsequently be verified. We will not record ownership or cultivator details at this stage; those aspects will be addressed during the second phase when Plot IDs and Farmer IDs are issued.”
Gandhi said that the 45-day survey will focus primarily on crop identification and nothing beyond. He said that once the Plot ID and Farmer ID are linked, farmers will benefit from easier access to bank loans – typically up to Rs 1.6 lakh – and accurate crop insurance coverage based on precise record data.
Gandhi said that according to the existing Records of Rights (RoR), there are 6.5 lakh land parcels in Goa cultivating various crops. “We will obtain land conversion data from the Town and Country Planning (TCP) office to ensure the survey is comprehensive and verified,” Gandhi said.
Though the survey will stress upon crop identification, sources said that it will also determine the extent of converted agricultural land and its current status, while also identifying specific areas of barren land across the state. The sources also said that the surveyors may face challenges in areas where land parcels are enclosed by fences or gates.
“The government’s initiation of parallel land record surveys in the state ahead of the general assembly elections has created space for doubts,” said a farmer.
