SOCIO-ECONOMIC BACKGROUND OF RATNAGIRI AND SINDHUDURGA DISTRICTS Introduction This chapter is devoted to the socio-economic background of Ratnagiri and

Sindhudurga districts, with the intention to serve as a back-drop to the chapter follows. In order to have better understanding of the districts under study, a brief account is given of agro-physical and socio-economic conditions. It attempts to identify the potential areas of development where credit can play an important role. It is based on the published statistical data of the Regional Plan and the socio-economic abstracts the districts. The study pinpoints geographical difference to enable us to consider the basis of and provide guideline for promotion of development programmes with protection of original features of the Regions so that the welfare of the society as a whole would enhance. It would not be feasible to apply any thumb rule to the entire Konkan area spread over nearly 33,000 sq.kms as the resources-base varies from place to place. Therefore a study of micro units is justified. A district is an ideal unit for such a study. We have drawn our personal knowledge and experience of this area to develop the Region, particularly of Horticulture. The Konkan Regions of Maharashtra, which consists of five districts viz., Thane , Mumbai, Raigad, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurga is endowed with abundance of natural resources and beauty. Of these five districts, Mumbai is highly developed. Although large areas of thane and raigad districts are under-developed, they still enjoy certain spill-over effects of economic development of the Mumbai districts and quite a sizable part of both these districts show all sign of economic development. Ratnagiri and Sindhudurga, however, are conspicuous by total lack of development and is least urbanized. We have therefore, selected these districts for our study. Initially, Ratnagiri districts consisted of 15 talukas viz., Mandangad, Dapoli, Khed, Guhagar, Chiplun, Sangameshwar, Ratnagiri, Lanja, Rajpur, Deogad, Kankavali, Malvan, Kudal, Vengurla and Sawantwadi. This district was subsequently divided into two viz., Ratnagiri and Sindhudurga with effects from 1st May, 1981 with the addition of 37 villages (of Vaibhavadi taluka) from erstwhile Kolhapuur districts are considered as common resource-region because of their similar geographical, social and economic features.

APROFILE OF RATNAGIRI SINDHUDURGA RESOURCE REGION (RSRR)

LOCATION

The Region is a coastal strip running north to south along the western coast of Maharashtra and Sahyadri hill range and lies between 15.36 and 18.50 north latitude and 37.50 to 74.36 East Longitude. (As shown in MAP-IV-1). BOUNDARIES The Map of old Ratnagiri district and its subsequent bifurcation into Ratnagiri Sindhudurga districts is shown in MAPIv-2. THE RATNAGIRI DISTRICT The Ratnagiri district strtches from river Savitri in the North along the boundaries of Raigad, and Vijaydurg creek and Sindhudurga district in the South. It is sirrounded by Sangli district in the East and Arabain Sea in the West. The average jenght of the district is 180 Kms and width is 66 kms. The district covers 8,249 sq.km area (62%) of the total 13,326 sq.km area of the region. The district account for 2.68 % of the total area of Maharashtra State (Ref MAP IV-3). THE SINDHUDURGA DISTRICT The newly created Sindhudurga district strtches from Vijaydurga creek in the north and Kiranpani river flowing along the common bordes of Goa and Maharashtra in the South. It is surrounded by by Sahyadri hills and Kolapur district in the east, and Arabian Sea in the west. The Sindhudurga district covers 5,077 sq.km areas (i.e 38 percent) of the Region. It is 1.65 per cent of the total area of Maharashtra State (given in MAP IV-4). GENERAL PHYSIOGRAPHY. On the basis of the geographical features and economic activities the entire Region can be divided into three major North-South belts and five east-west tracts as below. THE NORTH-SOUTH BELTS 1.The coastal belt (popularly known as Khalati meaning lower strip) from the sea coast west to east contain all historical port settlements. The relatively better soil cover support intensive agro-horticultural and fishing activities along the water courses and coast. This belt falls with in 0 to 100 meters above the mean sea-level. 2.The middle belt (popularly known as Valati meaning the upper strip) contains some old and recent settlement along the Mumbai Goa Highway with trading centre

headquarter like Khed, Lanja, Rajapur, Kankavali and industries centres auch as Kudal and Sawantwadi. 3.The steep slopes of Sahyadri (popularly known as Sahyadri-patti) are beyond 800 meters high at few places. This belt has several gorges suitable for construction of dams for impounding water because of high rainfall n the slopes of Sahyadri. On account of their geographical formations and soil characteristics these three belt have their own particular fruits and crops which have given rise to peculiar socio-economic characteristic. EAST-WEST TRACTS. The North-South belt gets further sub-divided into five East-West tracts as follows:1.The North tract have more hilly area Mandangad, Dapoli and Khed Tahsil all have similar social characteristics, Vegetation etc. They have better linkage to Mumbai and to extent to the western part of satara district (Mahableshwar area). 2.the second one contain Guhagar, Chiplun, Sangmeshwar Tahsil and has more orientation to satara district and a strong linkage to Mumbai. 3.The middle portion cover the area from Ratnagiri, Lanja, And rajapur tahsil which have lesser rugged terrain and somewhat different types of characteristic, yet with strong linkage of Mumbai on the north and to some extent to sangli and kholapur district on the east. Agriculture is of lesser significances in this tract as compared to the southern tract. 4.The next is the lower central tract of Deogad, Vaibhavwadi, Kankavali and Malvan Tahsils linkage to Mumbai. 5.The sourthernmost portion of Kudal, Sawantwadi and vengurla and Dodamarg Tahsils have special characteristic of their own. Both the southern tract (4) and (5) have much more plain land with good soil cover especially in the south-west portion. The dialect, the social homogeneity, the artistic achievements, education, agro-horticulture, mining and influence of princely state of Sawantwadi give this a distinctive character of its own. Even the structures have a different architectural expression and are of artistic value. These five tracts thus have peculiar traditions in, craft dialects and different economic basis within the similarities of the region as a whole. Thus the three north-south and the five east-west divisions based on socio-economic and physical characteristic reflect the natural sub-division of the region.

CLIMATE The climate of the region, though humid, is generally healthy. The year is divided into four seasons. 1.The summer seasons (March to May): Maximum temperature at the coast rarely rises beyond 38C and in the interior, seldom crosses 40C owing to the proximity of the sea. 2.The rainy season (June to September): The south-west monsoon account for most of the rainfall. The rainfall is very heavy near the ghats and the average annual rainfall fir the region as a whole is 3,000 mm 3.The post monsoon season (October to November): The season is iortant for Rabi Crops. 4.The winter seasons (December to February): The minimum temperature is around 19C. The night temperature is lowest in the month of January.

GEOLOGY AND SOIL CHARACTERISTIC OF RSRR In this region there are four types of geological formation as given below: a.Precambrain groups:These are found in the adjoining region of goa and the rocks display increasing metamorphoses toward north, to amphobilite and are highly beyond sawantwadi. b.Kaladgi groups. In the Phondaghat-Malvan large thick quartzities with minor conglomerates, shale and limestones are exposed below the traps. The beds are folded and faulted. They are white gray or brown and are weathered at places to yield sand. c.Mesozonic and Tertiary groups The major part of the Region is covered with basaltic flow commonly known as Deccan traps.Near Ratnagiri, white and bule clays with I thin carbonaceous layers are found in sections of wells and quarries. They bear fossils of leaves and some resin. d.laterite Laterite, derived from the leaching processes acting on the traps and precambrain rocks occurs over very large areas. It is found on the high plateau of Sahyadri range over different levels along the Konkan up to sea-level.

SOIL Most of the Region is covered by laterite rock or laterite soils. Because of the high rainfall, the soil and minerals are washed away and acid causes the rock to be acidic in reaction. It contains high percentage of iron and aluminum oxide. In the coastal areas there is also an encroachment by sea water (creek) turning into coastal soils known as Khar lands or Khajans.These are not generally fit for cultivation but with the proper reclamation practices and other measures they can be used for paddy cultivation or other purposes. The area to the west of Kudal consist of granites and gneisses black soil. The soil is mostly reddish and created by the flow of rain water through the roots. The proportion of phosphate and calcium is less and has affected its fertility but the proportion of nitrogen and potassium is good. This is shown in MAP 2. The costal has fertile soil and with proper care and treatment could be used for paddy cultivation, groundnut and other oil seeds , pulses , millets etc, of course mango, cashew, coconut, jack-fruit and spice can grow very well in the Region. The laterite stone is also good for building construction as it is easier to cut and it improves the strength with weathering. DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS The Demographic features of the region such as population growth rates, sex ratio, literacy ratio and Density are discussed below. The Total Population The total population of Ratnagiri-sindhudurga resource region has increased at a rate of 5.96 percent between 1971-81. As pe the 1981 census, the total population of the region is 21,56,001 and account for 3.43 of the states population. Ratnagiri has a population of 13,79,655 while sindhudurga has 7,76,346. Sex Ratio The number of males in the total population of the region as per 1981 census was 9,63,008 and that of females 11,92,993. The sex ratio i.e. the number of females per 1000 males works out to be 1239 as against Maharashtras 937. The main reason for high disparity in the sex ratio can be seen in the migration of males to urban areas outside the region in search employment. The Literacy Ratio The literacy ratio is slightly higher than that of the state. The literacy ratio is 47.63 for the region while that of the state is marginally low at 47.18.

Density of Population With respect to density (i.e the number of persons per square km while that of the state is 204. Thus the region has a lower density of population. Rural Urban Population The region is predominantly rural with 92.06 percent of population residing in the countryside. This proportion appears to be high when compared to the average of the state which is 65 percent. The region as a whole has 13 urban areas. Of the two districts, ratnagiri is more urbanized. The decadal changes in urban population of the region during 1971-81 were 7.93 percent. Ratnagiris urban population increased by 8.73 percent during the same period while sindhudurgas urban population increases by 6.51 percent. Part of the change in the urban population is accounted by de-classification of some urban areas into rural areas. Urban Growth Trends as Indicators of Development. The region has some parts which are slowly developing while other is stagnant. Ratnagiri and chiplun talukas are slowing signs of positive development while kudal and sawantwadi may develop in future due to recent trends of industrial growth. Migration Trend The process of large scale migration seems to have started after the transfer of Bombay island from Portuguese to the british. The extent of migration may be observed that out of the total migrants from Maharashtra state to Bombay, 42% were from other district of Maharashtra and out of those mifgrants 45% were from the region. These migrants were mostly being absorbes in various textile mills, military, police, offices and as casual labor. Migration Characteristics. According to the 1971 census, of the total population of Bombay (59,70,575) 14,01988 were born in other district of Maharashtra. About 5,68,898 (40.29%) were born in ratnagiri-sindhudurga region. Out of this 63.95% were male while 36.05% were female 89% of the migrants were from rural areas and only 11% were from the urban areas. This clearly indicates that the majority of the migrants are male and that they are mainly rural. It is observed that the main cause of such migration is the lack of developmental activity in the region. The male migration may be attributed to employment while female migration due to marriage. The non-availability of higher educational facilities is also a reasons for migration. Thus, there is a push factor of migration to Mumbai. Through the above data is two decades old, it still bring out an important feature

Inter- region immigrants and intra-region migrants The migrants coming into the region i.e those born elsewhere and recorded in the region at the time of census just account for 5.37 per cent of the total population and as such are insignificant. The immigrants to the region are mostly agricultural workers 85% and labourers 15%. The immigrants have been engaging themselves as agriculturist and agricultural labourers and in lesser proportion in non-agricultural and allied sectors. Return migration is expected depending upon the tempo of development in the years to come, and due to growing problems of developed cities. POPULATION AND ECONOMY The people belong to the various castes and communities and have been living in the region for centuries. On an average there is one in each family who has migrated to Mumbai, pune and other industrial centers of significance. As regards Muslim families however some have opted for foreign migration, mainly to African countries and more recently to the Gulf. The major economic activities of the region are as follows. 1.Agriculture is the major occupation on which more than 50 per cent of the population is directly dependent. 2.More than 86 percent of the famer are having less than 2 hectares of land holding. 3.principal Crops of the region are Rice, Horticulture and others. 4.The landless labourers traditionally opted for fishing, mining and other labor services in the region. 5.Educates community mostly engaged in tertiary activities

BEHAVIOUR OF SOME ECONOMIC INDICATORS The Region despite its potentential for development is poor in economic terms. This is the emerging picture if we look at some simple economic indicators like net output per capita income, per capita expenditure, investment, saving and credit-deposit ratio. According to a study conducted by IIM Bangalore, in 1976-77, the net output of ratnagiri at the then prevalent prices has been estimated at Rs 1,192 million. Considering a population of 20.5 lakhs then, the PCI was Rs 581.33 for that year. The contribution of different sector to the income has been as follows. Sector 1. 2. 3. Agriculture Manufacturing Services Total Percentage 51.74 08.21 40.05 100.00

The percentage expenditure is Rs 717.62 which is 23.4 percentages more than the PCI. The gap has been narrowed by remittances from Bombay and elsewhere.

Although the region has a higher level of saving due to spread of banks and Post offices. Government records show that the districts exceed the target fixed and received cash rewards. However the ratio of deposits to advance is only 100: 30which is substantially low.

The precipitate consumption expenditure is Rs 663.36 and precipitate investment is Rs 54.26. This is a classic example of high saving but low investment. The reasons are not difficult to decipher. Firstly about one fourth of the gross income is due to dependence outside the region (that is the region is net importer in monetary terms). Secondly the deposited mobilized largely find their way out of the region while advancing credit. Thus on the one hand the region is not self sufficient and on the other hand low investment result in low growth rate of income.

IMPORTANT SECTOR OF THE ECONOMY The important sectors of the region may be classified into four. Groups. Group A Groups B Groups C Groups D They are: Farming, Cattle, Poultry, Dairy and Fisheries Minerial, Industry and Power generation. Trade and Commerce Horticulture and Forestry.

A brief explanation of each of these follows.

GROUP A In this group we have included activities concerning Agriculture and allied occupation. These activities have been the mainstay of economic development of the region in the past however due to ecological degeneration over the past two centuries the sources of agricultural development and irrigation have depleted.

Agricultural development in the region suffers from a number of problems. Some of the important ones are list below:-

a. About 85 percent of the land is undulating however 41 percent of the total land can be brought under cultivation.

b.The agricultural holding are largely fragmented.

c. One of the important agricultural practices known as Rab Method (The Rab Method includes tree felling farming) destroy the entire ecology due to soil erosion.

d. Large tract of cultivable lands are not cultivated because of absent Landlordism common ownership and conflict, menace of stray cattle, tenancy problem above all lack of irrigation facilities.

e.the region has hardly any irrigation facilities. Of the total land under cultivation only3.34%is irrigated.

f.There is the problem of khar-land. (Khar lands is an area rendered uncultivable due to the onslaught of sea tides).

The allied activities such as cattle and dairy development have not been productive so far. In recent years there is an increase in the dairy activities. This progamme however faces problems like inadequate cattle feed, lack of veterinary aid, inefficient transport and the absence of technical guidance and finance.

The region has about 16 lakh poultry birds, the highest in the state. However only half of them together yield 100 lakh eggs per day which is a very low output. It can be increased to200 lakh by improving the quality of the poultry birds through veterinary aid, poultry feed, cages, transport and marketing facilities. The potential for animal husbandry such as Goat, Sheep and pig also exits however due to ignorance and apathy this activity which has tremendous scope for development bears little influence on the economy. The region spans about 50 percent of Maharashtras coast line and has been an important fishing Centre between Bombay and Goa. The fishing activity is not yet fully tapped. The availability of Khajan land along the coast and creeks, increasing number of irrigation projects, construction of ponds and wells will help in fish farming and sweet water fisheries in the region.

Fish is a staple food item in the diet of the regions native population. More than 65000 people are engaged in this activity and a considerable number of them live in poverty. The major difficulty is the uncertainty of catch due to lack of facilities for deep-sea fishing. The co-operative sector accounts only for 20 percent of the fish market while the rest is private trade. The fishermen are uneducated and unskilled. Soil erosion has also its

effect on fishing activities. If due attention is paid fishing can become a good source of export.

GROUP B

The region constitutes roughly 4.3 percent of the total area of the state. The region produces about 7 to 8 percent of the total value of mineral produce. The mineral resources are concentrated in the southern part along the sea-coast and other areas.

The important mineral available are silica- large reserve of sea sand suitable for use in foundry, leminite, bauxite, feldspar, iron ore, soap stone, china clay chormite, mica, manganese, cooper, graphite, limestone and other hot spring for geo-thermal energy development. Some other minor mineral suitable for building construction etc. are laterite clay like rock and clay for brick and titles.

Although the region is endowed with various kinds of minerals, it has not contributed to the development of the region. Industrial growth is not a major source of development in the region. One of the potential areas of the region is the exploration of oil in the ratnagiri offshore area.

GROUP C This is not a major activity in the region. At present the volume of trade and commerce is low due to lack of cheap, efficient and quick transport and communication facilities. The economic baser of the region is very weak and exploitation of resources is not economic. Even the available credit facilities are not being used adequately. As such the economic transactions in the region are low magnitude. GROUP D One of the most important economic activities in the region is horticulture and forestry. This sector is treated as a special sector of development due to its tremendous potential. At present only 3 percent of the Land is under horticulture and forestry including pisciculture. It contributes about 20 percent of the regions gross product.

It is possible to bring at least2.3 lakh hectares of land under cultivation of crops like mangoes, cashew, coconuts, vegetables, medicinal, herb, flowers etc, in the next two to three decades. In the next chapter we have discussed a hypothetical model for development of horticulture and forestry in the region.

HORTICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT IN THE REGION

The basic objective of this chapter is to highlight the process of accelerated development through Horticulture and forestry. We define the meaning of horticulture and forestry and discuss the main features of horticulture and forestry development in the region.

HORTICULTURE Horticulture is a branch of plants agriculture dealing with garden crops, generally fruits vegetables and ornamental. The word is derived from the latin hortims garden and colere to cultivate. The field of horticulture id traditionally divided into food crops (pomology and olericulture) and ornamentals (floriculture and land scape horticultural). Pomology deals with fruit and nut crops. Olericulture deals with nerbaceous (non-woody) plants including carrot (edible root) asparagus (edible stem), lettuce (edible leaf), cauliflower, tomatoes and pea.

Floriculture deals with productivity of flower and ornamental plants, generally, cut flower, potted plants, and greenery. Landscape horticulture is a broad category that includes plants for the landscape including turf but particularly nursery crops such as shrubs, trees and vines.

For the region under consideration we will be discussing horticulture mainly with reference to pomology.

MEANING OF FORESTRY Forestry is the science of managing woodland, along with associate waste land and water for the benefit of mankind. Its chief object is usually raising and harvesting of successive crops of timber but professional forest have become increasingly involved in activities related to the conservation of soil, water and wildlife resources and recreation. The 20th century, however has seen a tremendous expansion of artificial plantation in all continents, planned to meet the ever growing need for wood and paper as essential material in modern civilization.

In mountainous territory the value of forest for WATERSHED and erosion protection commonly exceeds that of lumber or recreation. Every thriving forest forms a natural protective covering over the earth, soil and bed rock, effective in several ways at different levels.

Another objective of forest management is to secure dependable income to maintain modern forest industries mainly saw mills and paper manufacture.

ECOLOGICAL BACKGROUND The region has suffered a long period of ecological degeneration. The physiography with a highly undulating land forms and several river valley pose a great challenge to the development of the region. The area has almost remained isolated for along period owing to heavy rainfall and costal climate. The silting of creeks, innumerable river and water courses, denuded forests, lack of tree cover, good top soil, steep slopes, onslaught of tidal water on the coast and along the creek pose many ecological problems.

EXSTING POSITION OF HORTICULTURE AND FORESTRY

LAND USE AT PRESENT:

The region has a total of 2.94 million hectares of land area. About 28 percent of it is brought under cultivation while 19 percent account for forest area. Horticulture and Forestry is carried out in just 3 percent of the land, less than industry which is spread over 5 percent of the total area.

EMPLOYMENT UNDER HORTICULTURE AND FORESTRY

The following table points out section wise employment and contribution to the regions gross product.

Employment and Gross Product Sector Product 1 Agriculture 2 Industry 3 Horticulture/Forestry and Pisciculture 03 20 Contribution to Employment 69 28 Contribution to Gross 26 54

Total

100

100

The above table reveals the fact that while Horticulture and forestry employ only 3 percent of the active population it contributes 20 percent of the gross product.

FACTORS CONDUCIVE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF HORTICULTURE AND FORESTRY

1.NATURAL FACTORS The natural factors like physiography, soil, geology, rainfall, climate etc, are favorable for the development in the region. These factors have been discussed amply in chapter IV.

2.ECOLOGICAL BALANCE One of the principal advantages of horticultural development will be maintain of ecological balance of the region, which is being disturbed by the denuded tree cover. In fact improvement of ecological condition will boost the agriculture and grass cultivation for cattle and dairy development sector. The prevention of soil erosion will aid in afforestation and will have a positive effect on the over all economy of the region.

3.GEOGRAPHICAL FACTORS

a.

Availability of Area

The region has 2.94 million hectares of land. Of these 1.65 million hectares is presently utilized for various purposes. About 21 percent of the land cannot be brought under cultivation. This leaves over 1.25 million hectares un utilized. It is expected that Horticulture can be extended to at least 2.3 lakh hectares of land.

b.

Irrigation

Heavy rainfall in the region makes it possible to harness water for irrigation and charging of wells. In the past irrigation projects were considered unfeasible. At present only 3.32 percent of the land is brought under irrigation. Although the topology of the region makes it difficult to undertake irrigation projects, the land under irrigation can be increased.

4.ECONOMIC FACTOR a.Horticulture development does not necessitate substantial investment. The prevalent poverty precludes any possibilities of huge investment in the industrial sector or other allied activities.

b.Fragmentation of land holding makes the region more suitable for horticultural development rather than large scale farming. c. Large migration from the region has created inadequate supply of labor. High literacy ratio in the sindhudurga district has led to a class of educated unemployed who do not prefer employment in agriculture as it is not commercialized. 5.POLITICAL FACTORS

The GOI and govt of Maharashtra have mainly stressed on the development of horticulture and forestry in the 8th Five year Plan. The govt of Maharashtra has adopted a resolution of horticulture and forestry development under employment guarantee scheme (EGS) clearly indicates the increasing awareness of the need to develop Horticulture.

BASIC CONSTRAINTS IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF HORTICULTURE.

The Konkan region of Maharashtra and particularly the RSRR is ideally suited for the development of Horticulture and forestry, but due to a number of constraints the modern methods of horticultural development have not been adopted. The incident of major land slides, floods and seismic activity has only aggravated the problem of poverty, unemployment and under development. The following are the major constraints in the development of horticulture.

a.Inferior soil condition , large area of cultivable waste land, predominance of small land holder scattered throughout, extreme undulating topography, small proportion of irrigated area, shortage of water despite heavy rainfall are the major constraints in the development of horticulture. b.The people of the region have a natural feeling of being content with what they have. They are less enterprising and dynamic. They are not keen in accepting new method and bring about changes in the mode of life. The lack of local organizations and voluntary agencies such as the Pani Panchayats in Pune district are symptomatic of the complacent attitude of the people.

PATTERN OF DEVELOPMENT Horticultural Development in the region can start off as the leading sector of the economy. Its high contribution to the gross product of the Region (20%) despite minimal dependence on labor force (3%) highlights the potential of Horticulture and Forestry. Present and Future Estimate Area under various Main Horticultural Crops. Crop Area in Hectors 1981-82 1. Mango 2. Cashew 3. Coconut 4. Jack fruit 5. Kokum 6. Chikku and Pineapple Total 9,400 11,400 6,800 --------------2,500 30,100 2001 86,500 1,11,500 12,000 5,100 5,180 6,000 2,26,280

LAND UTILIZATION The development of Horticulture in the region with reference to individual crops can be made by identifying three board divisions in the region. These divisions are.

a. The Coastal Division b. The middle Tract and c. Hill slopes in the east.

THE CROPS TO BE RAISED IN EACH OF THESE DIVISIONS ARE MENTIONED BELOW.

a.The costal division comprising of Vengurla and portions of Dapoli, Mandangad, Guhagar, Rajapur, Ratnagiri, malvan and Deogad taluka are suitable for coconut, aplanso mango, cashew, kokum, jack fruit and karwand etc. Fruits like banana, chikku and spices like pepper, clove, nutmeg etc .can be raised if water facility is available. b.The middle tract comprising parts of Khed, Dapoli, Mandangad, Chiplun, Sangameshwr, Guhagar, Rajapur, Lanja, Ratnagiri, Malvan,Deogad, kankavli sawantwadi and Kudal talukas can be effectively used for raising alphanso mango,cashew,pickle mango, jackfruit, jambhool and karwand. If irrigation facilities can be made available it is possible for trees like coconuts, banana, chikku and some spice crops like pepper, clove, nutmeg etc. c. The hill slopes in the east covering talukas like Mandangad, chiplun, sangameshwar, rajapur, lanja, kankavali, sawantwadi and kudal are suitable for the growth of cashew, payari mango, kesar mango, jack fruit, avail , bore kokum , jambhool, karwand and other forest trees. In additional to the above commercial crops, fruits like water-melon, pineapples, vegetables and flowers trees can be grown on small lands. The regions environment is suitable for Ayurvedic medicinal herbs and Citronella grass.

EXISTING POSITION OF FORESTRY

In Maharashtra, forestry is the second largest single land use after agriculture. The forest covers 64,005 sq.km which is 21 percent of the total area. The area under forest is not evenly distributed. The RSRR has about 330 sq.km under Forestry. The Ratnagiri district has only 38 sq.km i.e. 11.5 percent under forestry. The three talukas of Khed, Rajapur and Dapoli have 78 percent of forest area in the district. The regional plan proposes to increase the area to about 3, 00,000 Hects for Forestry development by utilizing the available waste lands in the district. This would raise the area under forest to 36 percent of the district area. It is suggested that land with slope steeper than 15 to 20 percent should be ear marked for afforestation. This is the best safe guard against soil erosion. This Sindhudurga district has 292 sq.km of area under forestry. This is about 88.5 of the total area under forestry in the region. Of this 97 percent of the forest is concentrated in three talukas of the district viz. sawantwadi, kankavali and kudal. As compared to the ratnagiri district the forest resources under the management of Forest Dept. and revenue Dept are considerable. It is now realized that social forestry is an efficient way for increasing tree plantation as there are competing demands for the use of land. Social Forestry would help to bring forests to farms, open lands in rural and urban areas, private and community waste lands, on road and rail sides, in the compounds of industrial educational and social institutions etc. THE MAIN OBJECTIVE OF SOCIAL FORESTRY ARE AS FOLLOWS. 1.To augment the production of fire fruits, timber fodder firewood etc. 2.To restore ecological balance, provide recreation and general improvement in the quality of life in the rural area. AND 3.To contain deforestation on govt lands. 4.To increase the scope of rural employment by creating infrastructure and to help contain migration of rural labor. PLAN OUTLAY AND EXPENDITURE An outlay of Rs 24 crores is approved for forestry during 1990-91. The subsector wise distributed of the proposed outlay is an under. In Rs. Lakh

Serial Item No. 1.Direction and Administration 2.Statistics 3.Extension and training 4.Survey of Forest resources 5.Wild life and Environment Conservation 6.Forestry Plantation 7.Communication 8.Forest produce development and utilization 9.Investment in Public Sector Undertaking 10.Others TOTAL MAJOR INPUT FOR DEVELOPMENT

Outlay 229.52 15.90 139.17 173.16 288.83 1242.28 23.92 59.95 200.00 27.27 2400.00

The development of Horticulture in the region requires three basic inputs. They are as follows.

1.Adequate , timely, cheap, and efficient credit facilities. This can be provided through the RSGVB the RRB in the region.

2.Organizing marketing facilities including development of sub market yards and major market yards at appropriate location.

3.Cheap and efficient transport facilities between the producing centers and marketing centers.

GAIN FROM HORTICULTURE AND FORESTRY

EMPOLYMENT POTENTIAL

The agro-horticulturral development will raise the employment potential from about 5.61 lakhs by end of this century. There will be substantial employment generation in Horticulture as well as complimentary semi-skilled labor force in various activities such as. a.Fruits, pieces, juice processing, pickles, canning and preservation.

b.Fruits production like Amba Poli, Phanas Poli or other sweet preparations.

c.Wooden or cane preparation

d.Nurserise. e.Farm mechanization. f.Processing of Plants, scents from flower or oil from seeds. g.Ayurvedic medicine manufacturing. h.grafting , pruning and post-harvest treatment. i.Service centers for technical advice and demonstration and j.Sales services of pesticides, fertilizers and implements.

EXPORT POTENTIAL

The region is famous for mango, cashew, jack fruits, coconut, kokum etc which earns valuable foreign exchange. Today mangoes worth more than Rs 15-25 crores are exported. The cashew is also a source of foreign exchange. With increased areas being

under cultivation the exports will increase adding to the export earning. This is a classic case of an under developed region earning foreign exchange for the economy of the region.

This would not be problem I the long run if the farmer were educated and voluntary organization help them to overcome this complacency.

CONCLUSIONS The Konkan region of Maharashtra and particularly the RSRR is ideally suited for the development of horticulture and forestry, however due to a number of constraints the modern methods of horticultural development have not yet been adopted.

The development of Horticulture will provide the much needed impetus for the economy of the region. The horticulture development aims at up liftment of economically weaker sections of the society by launching efforts which make optimum utilization of land. It makes moderate use of modern technology and relies on indigenous technology which is cost saving.

We feel that the emphasis should be on Rainfed Horticulture, wherever watershed is not possible. Rainfed Horticulture for this region would include the cultivation of crops such as mango, cashew, jack fruits , kokum, karwand etc. fruits like banana, chikku, orange and spices like pepper clove, nutmeg etc and plantations like bamboo, teak etc.

It can be carried out on Small farms unlike Rubber Plantation, plam etc. which required large size farms. Small size of farms has been a general feature of the Region.

The small holding of the farmers makes Horticulture more economical. In fact it is possible for small farmers to plant even a couple of trees and supplement their income

substantially. The program hardly requires any skill of those who are migrating in search of jobs.

The horticultural estates can take various forms of vegetables, flowers, herbal and medicinal plantation, gardens of various types of local fruit such as jamun, bor, avala, pineapple and also bamboo. Beside there are the normally planted fruit trees such as mango, cashew, kokum, jack fruit, betelnut, chikku, spices and cocoa plantation.

Provision of finance for Horticulture development will bring about optimum utilization of land and labor. The RSGVB has an important social obligation to discharge by providing adequate to the development of Horticulture and Forestry.

Though the labor in the region is not skilled, it can be provided with gainful employment. This will raise the standard of living of the weaker section of society by raising the level of income.

The problem of rail transport is likely to be solved with his completion of Konkan Railway Project on the west coast. The various talukas in the region are well connected by means of Road transport.

It is hardly surprising that the Indian Spices Development Council has made specific recommendation about the viability of these crops in the region. Such horticultural product can also help several allied activities of canning, production of juices and jams, manufacturing of boxes and so on.