Agriculture of Goa

Category : - All India Travel Tourism > Goa > Agriculture

Nestled between the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghat mountains, Goa has always faced problems for enough cultivable land to feed its own population. While the coastal areas exposed to salinity do not qualify as good agricultural areas, inland areas too are not enough productive. For its day-to-day needs of agricultural produce like vegetables, etc., Goa is dependent on the neighboring states of Karnataka and Maharashtra. Almost half the total area is not used for cultivation.

Approximately one-third of the total land falls under forest areas, which however yields substantial profits.

The major crops of the State are paddy, followed by other cereals such as small millets and pulses. The main crop paddy is cultivated in Kharif season (June-September) as monsoon rain provides abundant water. The crops grown in rabi season (Oct-Feb.) are confined to areas where there is assured water supply. The main irrigation projects are Salaulim Irrigation Project in South Goa and Anjunem Irrigation project in North Goa.

The main plantation crops of Goa are coconut, arecanut, cashew and garden crops like mango, pineapple, jackfruits and bananas.

The Government forest area is estimated to be 1224.38 sq. kms. besides the forest land owned by private people and institutions amounts to 200 sq. kms. The important forests products are bamboo canes, Maratha barks, chillar barks, bhirand etc. The area planted under forest is 1424.38 sq. kilometers.