Pre-monsoon showers are expected to break in at any time, and the showers will signal the end of the festivals – cashew, mango, fish – with the themes multiplying as festivals are now proving to be lucrative for a few.
The Cashew Fest has just ended, and there were many happy faces. People, especially our politicians, spoke, but sadly no one touched on the topic of a hike in assured government cashew prices that farmers have been demanding for quite a while.
The market rate of cashew fruit is between Rs 110 to 112 per kg this season, and the government had given an assured price of Rs 150 per kg – paying the farmer Rs 40 per kilogram sold.
Not happy, farmers had requested that the assured price at the minimum be hiked to Rs 170 per kg to knock off the high cost of cashew farming. For some strange reason, the demand was ignored.
Not happy, farmers had requested that the assured price at the minimum be hiked to Rs 170 per kg to knock off the high cost of cashew farming. For some strange reason, the demand was ignored.
Instead, the Cashew Fest was held, where crores of rupees were spent to leave the attendees momentarily ecstatic, and nothing positive actually reached the farmers. This is a pity!
The Cashew Fest could have been held had the farmers demand been accepted. In fact, a much higher assured price could have been given to them, the fest could still be held, and everyone left expecting a better crop next season.
It is now getting amply clear that the present dispensation does not have the common man in mind, but instead prefers to play with glamour because that is where the money is. Cashew is our legacy, kept alive by the farmers, and not by festivals.
Some believe that the government could not raise the assured price because of the Election Code of Conduct, and this premise is difficult to digest because the demand of the farmers was long pending and the Cashew Fest was an event planned long before.
Some believe that the government could not raise the assured price because of the Election Code of Conduct, and this premise is difficult to digest
The fest also had a well-known Goan musician pointing out through social media how Goan artistes are not treated the way they have to be in front of artists from other parts of the country.
Artists from India, moaned the musician, are paid better than their Goan counterparts. This raises the question – for whom are such festivals organised – for locals or for tourists?
If it is for the former, then the song that is sung for the heart is enjoyed best. And if it’s for the latter, a free performance by an artist is a good pull chord.
And if it is for all, a mix would be the best, and a mix that saw the pie being shared meritoriously.
UNFORTUNATE OR FORTUNATE?
Panjim was one place that needed the least rainfall because of the ongoing Smart City works. The rain has in no way pushed the deadline further because May 31 was never the deadline set by the men actually running the show.
According to rainfall statistics released by the India Meteorology Department (IMD) Goa, when it rained, it rained most in Panjim and the difference in centimetres of rainfall, compared to other places, was big.
Panjim was one place that needed the least rainfall because of the ongoing Smart City works. However, when it rained, it rained the most in Panjim.
May 31 is a political deadline for the completion of the works of the Smart City. It is clear – from the time this political deadline was declared – that Panjim would start looking smart by December 31, 2024 – May 31 was an unachievable timeline.
The rains, however, threw people further into inconvenience. Potholes got flooded and vision became blurred. The chances of accidents increased and those on social media got better frontage.
When the monsoon bursts in June, Panjimites, or those inhabiting the capital city, could well be assured that the problems caused by the burst of rains, will not be as bad as the previous years.
There will be reasons to be upset as Smart City officials may be found wanting – here and there – but things will be better than before when one dons spectacles optimistically.
Adieus, summer of 2024!
