Goa: Sal banana farmers still await government aid

BICHOLIM: Owners of several Mandoli banana plantations in Sal, Bicholim, who, along with paddy farmers, suffered major losses during last year’s floods, said they have not yet received financial assistance from the government.
Mandoli bananas are grown in certain parts of Bicholim and are sought during Ganesh Chaturthi. Several plantations were destroyed due to heavy rainfall and flooding just weeks before the festival last August, leaving farmers distressed.
“It is unfortunate that we have not yet received a single paisa from the government,” banana plantation owner Gurudas Desai, said. “We had spent a lot of money on the banana trees, supplements and material to protect them, but were shattered after many that had borne fruit were destroyed last year.”
Ashok Dhawaskar, another farmer, said although many politicians and bureaucrats had assured them of financial assistance before Ganesh Chaturthi last year, many are yet to receive funds. The farmers have now sought the intervention of chief minister Pramod Sawant and Bicholim MLA Rajesh Patnekar.
When contacted, Patnekar said he had already distributed funds to most banana plantation owners and that those who had not yet received assistance would be issued cheques before the code of conduct for the zilla panchayat elections was enforced. “But if the code is enforced by then, the amount will be directly credited to their respective bank accounts,” he said.