Directives to be followed by tenants in cultivating lands held by them

In pursuance of the provisions to Rule 15A of the Goa, Daman and Diu Agricultural Tenancy Rules, 1965, the Government is hereby pleased to issue directives on the following matters for being implemented and followed by the tenants in cultivating the lands held by them:— (i) The fields to be cultivated shall be properly levelled, devoid of stubbles and ploughed and brought to a fine tilth. The fields shall also be sub-divided into convenient plots surrounded by bunds for even distribution of water and also preventing washing away of inputs. These operations shall be conducted before the actual sowing operations are taken up. ii) (a) In Kher and Khazan lands (not subject to saline water inundation) and where cultivation of paddy is undertaken by ‘Xelli’ methods, the fields shall be ploughed immediately after the harvest of the previous crop and the side bunds shall be strengthened before the actual sowing of the crop is taken up. In case of Khazan lands marginal to river banks and subject to inundation of saline water, preliminaries of cultivation such as ploughing or digging, desilting of drains, maintenance and repairs to the protective bunds, shall be completed, latest by the end of May to ensure better de-salinization of field with the first monsoon showers and to prevent wind and water erosion. In case of morod lands, the proper tillage shall be initiated as soon as the monsoon sets in i.e. within 15 days from the date of onset of monsoon, so as to prevent any excess of water to be lost by surface run-off. The pudding operation shall be carried out when paddy is sown by ‘row’ (germinated seeds) method or by transplanted crop method: (b) For other seasonal crops such as vegetables, pulses oil-seeds etc. the land shall be ploughed soon after the harvest of the previous crop when there is moisture in the soil, so as to ensure a fine tilth required for a good seed bed. However, the minimum number of ploughing and harrowings, to be attained before sowing of any of the above crops, shall not less than three. iii) The directive stipulated in item (ii) above shall invariably be adopted to eradicate weeds and shrubs. However, in low lying areas where humidity prevails removal of weeds shall be under taken either by hand picking (manual labour) or by application of weedicides in consultation with the Zonal Agricultural Officer of the respective area. iv) (a) For paddy— Depending upon the nature of topography of the soil, the following varieties of crops of such other varieties as may be recommended by the Diretorate of Agriculture as may be recommended by the Directorate of Agriculture from time to time, shall be raised namely:— 1) In ‘morod’ and Kher areas with limited supply or irrigation facilities-short duration crop. 2) In Kher areas with adequate water facilities and low-lying areas medium and long duration crop; 3) Tank bed areas sown during kharif season short duration crop; 4) In low lying areas subjected to prolonged flood— flood resistant variety; 5) Saline areas — salt resistant varieties. b) For seasonal crops— For other seasonal crops, such as vegetables, oilseeds and pulses, any variety suitable for a particular area shall be raised, depending upon the season, availability of reserves and irrigation facilities. v) Seeds shall necessarily be treated before sowing by using such organic mercurial compounds as may be recommended by the Directorate of Agriculture. vi) Dates for closing and opening of bandharas, tanks and weirs shall be earmarked in consultation with the Zonal Agricultural Officer of the area. The above operation shall be undertaken under the supervision of a person nominated by the Village Panchayat of the area. vii) The drainage and irrigation channels shall be maintained in good condition well in advance of the cropping season i.e. by the end of April for Kharif crop and by the end of October for Rabi crop; the above activity shall be accomplished under the supervision of the Rural Engineer of the area. viii) The beds and channels, rivulets, rivers etc. shall in no case, be used for cultivation purposes to avoid silting of water course and obstruction to free flow of water. ix) Only shallow rooted crops as may be recommended by the Directorate of Agriculture shall be allowed to be raided on bunds, embankments, during kharif season and after the harvest of the crop the stubbles shall be covered by a layer of clay known as ‘thor’ and ‘hupto’ which will strengthen the bund.