Bhiva Parab
Panaji
It’s the season of ‘gaothi kande’ or ‘uliche kande’—Goa’s prized locally grown onions—but these once-ubiquitous kitchen staples have now become a rare sight in village markets and roadside stalls. With fewer farmers cultivating this traditional variety, ‘gaothi kande’ are gradually being replaced by cheaper, readily available onions from outside the state.
The cultivation of the local varieties, once common across Goan villages, has sharply declined over the years due to various challenges. Farmers cited the labour-intensive nature of growing these onions, along with the lack of manpower and time, as key reasons for moving away from the crop.
“We used to grow ‘gaothi kande’ in abundance in our fields and their taste was also better than those that come from outside Goa,” said Sidhesh Naik, a farmer from Pernem taluka. “But now, we’ve stopped the cultivation as it requires a lot of hard work and daily watering. Earlier, my family and I would manage it ourselves, but now with everyone busy and labour costs rising, it’s no longer viable.”
He added that the easy and cheap availability of onions from outside Goa has further discouraged the cultivation of the local variety.
Typically harvested during summer, the local onions—distinguished by their taste and medicinal value—were traditionally hung on bamboo poles in kitchens.
The onions are priced anywhere between Rs 300 and Rs 1,000 per bunch, depending on size and quality. White onions, considered superior in taste, fetch a higher price than red ones. Each bunch usually weighs between two to three kg, making them much more expensive than their counterparts brought from other states.
Despite their fading presence, the locally grown onions are still valued by some for their superior taste and traditional use in home remedies for ailments like colds and coughs. Unless support and incentives are provided to sustain their cultivation, ‘gaothi kande’ could soon become a rare relic of Goa’s agricultural heritage.
