Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Panaji
Panaji, May 12: The scientists from Indian Council for Agriculture Research (ICAR) are now exploring the possibility of using saline Khazan lands of the state to grow high productive rice varieties, a senior official said today.
ICAR researchers are drawing lessons from neighbouring Maharashtra state where Khazan Land Research Station is doing yeoman’s job in this field.
The khazans are saline floodplains along Goa’s tidal estuaries, which have been reclaimed over centuries by constructing an intricate system of bunds (dykes) and sluice gates.
ICAR Goa director Dr N P Singh said that rice varieties like –Amalmana SR-26-B and CST 7-1 (Kolkata varieties), three varieties of Panvel rice, Vattila and Lunishree (Cuttack varieties) and the Jarwa of Port Blair, will be experimented in these saline land stretches.
The researchers feel the inundation of these lands in the water have been a major constraint for production of rice varieties. These land masses lying adjacent to the estuaries get inundated with sea water during high tide or in monsoon season, reducing their fertility.
“Major portion of Khazan land where rice is grown is submerged in water for almost two months making it difficult to cultivate other types of rice. Therefore only local varieties are grown as it’s height of one meter survives in the submerged field unlike other varieties,” singh explained.
As per the statistics, of the total 96,000 ha under coastal saline soils in the Konkan region, 18,000 hactare falls in Goa region of which only 10,000 hactare is fertile for rice cultivation whereas remaining 8,000 ha is unproductive for any type of cultivation.
Singh said that the ICAR will have a pilot project in Khazan land before going for mass production. The institute has already ordered for the rice seeds, which has a high yield.
ICAR is also working on damming Khazan lands from the sea or creek waters by constructing embankments. The proposal is apparently discussed with the Goa government that could protect the salt affected soils from being submerged any further.