Cropping Pattern of Goa for Goa PSC

Cropping Pattern of Goa

Cropping systems of a region are decided by and large, by a number of soil and climatic parameters which determine overall agro-ecological setting for nourishment and appropriateness of a crop or set of crops for cultivation.
Nevertheless, at farmers’ level, potential productivity and monetary benefits act as guiding principles while opting for a particular crop/cropping system.
These decisions with respect to choice of crops and cropping systems are further narrowed down under influence of several other forces related to infrastructure facilities, socio-economic factors and technological developments, all operating interactively at micro-level. These are:

Infrastructure facilities:
Irrigation
Transport,
Storage,
Trade and marketing,
Post-harvest handling and processing
Socio-economic factors:
Financial resource base
Land ownership
Size and type of land holding
Household needs of food, fodder, fuel, fibre and finance
Labour availability
Technological factors:
Improved varieties
Cultural requirements
Mechanization
Plant protection
Access to information

Agriculture Pattern/Changes issue in Cropping Pattern of Goa

Agriculture along with Forests in Goa is instrumental in keeping Goa green and covers nearly 65 per cent of the area.
In the last fifty year the State has seen major changes in agriculture.
In 1961 nearly 70 per cent of the population was involved in agriculture with paddy the predominant crop followed by cashew and coconut.
The cropping pattern is changing and today cashew is cultivated in nearly 55,000 Ha with paddy covering about 31,000 Ha.
Horticultural crops are gaining importance due to better returns, lower risk and tolerance of these crops for part time farming.
The State provides assistance to farmers from land preparation to marketing of produce.
Agriculture department implements developmental programme in all talukas.
The Department has plant production centres in agricultural farms, machinery provision centres at the taluka level and training centres at the district level.
Soil testing laboratories are located at the district level where soil health cards are issued for major and micronutrients.
Being a progressive State, farmers face shortage of manual labour and dependence on machines is an emerging trend.
Land holding is also small and nearly 80% of farmers own less than 1 hectare of land.
Goa is perhaps the only State where farmers are assured of the price for their produce.
The State provides assurance of support price in case of paddy, coconut, arecanut, oilpalm sugarcane which safeguards farmers against losses due to collapse in market price.
Irrigation has helped agriculture in the State.
Traditional sources of irrigation were storage tanks, small diversion bandharas, natural springs and wells.
For rabi paddy (vaigon) irrigation was mostly from storage tanks located in Salcete and Bardez.
The usual practice is to cultivate kharif paddy in tank bed and the water weir is closed early in September after harvest of Kharif paddy.
In Panda, Sanguem and Bicholirn small kucha ‘diversion’ works are constructed on nullahs to irrigate paddy fields during Rabi.
Considerable area under arecanut depends on various springs at higher altitudes.
After liberation, a number of lift irrigation schemes were commissioned, wells were opened.
The Selaulim Irrigation Project and Anjunem Irrigation Project have added to the irrigated area of more than 10,000 ha.
Being a progressive State, farmers face shortage of manual labour and dependence on machines is an emerging trend.
Land holding is also small and nearly 80% of farmers own less than 1 hectare of land.

Rice-Rice Cropping Pattern of Goa and Related Problems

Rice-rice is the popular cropping system in irrigated lands in humid and coastal ecosystems of Goa.
The major issues in sustaining productivity of rice-rice system are:

Deterioration in soil physical conditions.
Micronutrient deficiency.

Poor efficiency of nitrogen use.

Imbalance in use of nutrients.
Non-availability of appropriate transplanter to mitigate labour shortage during critical period of transplanting.
Build up of obnoxious weeds such as Echinochloa crusgalli and non-availability of suitable control measures.

The other general issues of low productivity are build up of pests, diseases and weeds year after year and deterioration of soil health to a large extent.

Goa Crop Combination

THREE CROP COMBINATIONS

3 crop combinations were seen in 4 tehsils of Goa including Tiswadi, Pernem, Sattari and Ponda.
In the same year rice was dominant crop in Tiswadi followed by cashew nut and coconut.
These three crops altogether makes around 86% of total net sown area under different crops.
In Pernem, cashew nut covers more area approximately around 43%.
Cereals, pulses and oilseeds are second important crops in the region followed by rice.
In Sattari around 58% of net sown area is utilized for cashew nut, as hilly areas forming parts of Western Ghats covered by laterite soil which favours only cashew plantation.
It is followed by rice in plain areas along the banks of river Mandovi in the region.
Garden crops are third important crop in the region.
In Ponda rice is dominant crop covering 38% of total cropped area, followed by cashew nut and coconut.
In 2010-11, 4 tehsils out of 11 have 3 crop combinations. These are Tiswadi, Pernem, Quepem, and Murmugao.
Tiswadi and Pernem remained with same crop combination with similar crop ranking.
In the same year rice is the dominant crop in Quepem covering 50% of total cropped area, followed by cashew nut and coconut.
In murmugoa coconut is dominant crop followed by rice and cashew nut.

FOUR CROP COMBINATIONS

4 crop combinations were noticed in Sanguem, Cancona, Murmugao and Quepem.
In Sanguem 4 most important crops were cashew nut (40%), rice (24%), coconut (17%) and garden crops (8%).
In canacona and Quepem rice was dominant crop with its high share in total cropped area, followed by cashew nut, coconut and garden crops.
In Murmugao the most dominant crop was coconut with 42% of its share due to favourable geographical conditions in the region for coconut plantation.
It was followed by rice,cashew nut and cereals, pulses and oil seeds. But, in 2010-11, 4 crop combinations were seen in Bardez, Ponda, Sanguem and Canacona.
In Bardez rice, cashew nut, cereals, pulses, oil seeds and coconut are the important four crops.
In Ponda, Sanguem and Canacona four crop combinations are rice, cashew nut, coconut and garden crops.

FIVE CROP COMBINATION

Two tehsils have observed 5 crop combinations in 2006-07.
These two tehsils are Bardez and Bicholim.
In Bardez, the crop ranking is as follow: rice (25.95%), cashew nut (25.87%), cereals, pulses and oil seeds (21.26%), vegetables (12.23%), coconut (12%).
In Bicholim, cashew nut is an important crop with its share of 48.29% in total cropped area.
It is followed by rice with 23.41%, cereals, pulses and oil seeds with 10.37%, coconut with 9.51%, garden crops with 4.13%.In 2010- 11 there is no single tehsil with five crop combination.

SIX CROP COMBINATION

Only Salcete tehsil has 6 crop combinations according to 2006-07 data.
But, in 2010-11 two more tehsils were added in this combination, that are, Sattari and Bicholim.
The crops grown in these areas are rice, cashewnut, coconut, groundnut, vegetables etc.
High crop combination in these regions is because of uneven topography.
There are plain areas along river banks as well as mountainous areas which provide wide scope for the mixed farming in a region.
Subsistent farming system in the region, where farmers grows several crops to meet the family requirements is also one of the reason of six crop combination in these regions.

CONCLUSION

The Cropping Pattern of Goa in the region shows diversity of crops.
It is observed that the crop combination in the region varies from 3 to 6 crop combinations for the year 2006-07.
3, 4 and 6 crop combination have been noticed in year 2010-11.
As rice is the dominant crop all over the region which makes part of staple food in Goa, in future there are chances that this crop may occupy more area with its specialization, if proper irrigational facilities are provided to the local people.
There are also chances of increase in area under coconut plantation in a region as geographical conditions are favourable for its growth and it also takes lesser hard work and the growing demand in the market as it is one of the main food ingredient in Goa’s cuisine.
Further there are also chances that cashew nut can become one of the dominant crop due to its huge demand in the domestic as well as international market.
But its production restricted to particular season which can affect its proportion in total cropped area

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