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| Dahanu - A Town By The Sea |
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Economy
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The social mosaic of Dahanu is dotted with horticulturists, floriculturists, agriculturists, artisans, potters, basket weavers, jewelry die-makers, salt manufacturers, balloon manufactures, toddy tappers and fisher folks apart from primitive activities like boat repairing and net making.
Horticulture :
Dahanu is lined with fruit orchards and is distinctively famous for its Chikoo fruit. Dahanu has been a home to a large number of Chikoo farmers for almost a century. Known as ‘sapodilla’ elsewhere in the world, a member of the Sapotaceae family, Chikoo is one of the most interesting and desirable of all tropical fruit trees. The origin of sapodilla can be traced to Central America where it has apparently been cultivated since ancient times. This fruit is believed native to southern Mexico and other nearby parts. Till date the economy of Dahanu, Gholvad and Bordi survives on its sapodilla plantations as 7 out of 10 Chikoos of the country grow here. These Chikoos are dispatched by train to Mumbai. These Chikoos also find their way in to the markets of Delhi, Jaipur, Udaipur and Pune.
Other than Chikoos, fruits like Coconut, Mango, Lychee (apart from Dehradun and Kolkata), Guava, Grapefruit, Custard Apple, Love Apple, Ice-Apple (Tadgola) and Cashew nut are also grown. This makes one wonder how so much variety can grow together.
Horticulture also has helped in other primary activities as a very good source of side-income viz. Plant Nurseries, Vermiculture & Vermicomposting. Ecotourism is the latest income-source activity that is gaining popularity with the horticulturists. One will find quiet a few MTDC recognised eco-tourism farms in the Dahanu taluka.
Farming :
Farming is the primary occupation of the Warlis in Dahanu taluka. The main cultivation is of the paddy. Generally being a monsoon-based economy, the agricultural activities are seasonal. The sowing operations begin with the onset of monsoon in June and lasts till the month of March, when the post-harvesting activities are completed. Agriculture in Dahanu taluka being a seasonal activity the Warlis are required to undertake simultaneous jobs elsewhere to continue the inflow of their income. The fruit-orchard owners generally employ most of them though some do travel to the town area where the concentration of industries is largest.
Fishing and Salt manufacturing :
Dahanu’s rich and marine belt due to its vast wetlands and its inlet fishing sustains thousands of fishermen and has thus for ages sustained another age-old occupation of Fishing. It also supports a sizable population of marginalized people who solely depend on salt manufacturing.
The entire coastal belt with its rich natural resources, creeks, wetlands, reefs, mangroves and river deltas forms a lucrative fishing area. The communities engaged in this occupation are Kohlis, Mitnas and Mangelas. They are the masters of the sea and help in generating good revenue for the town by exporting tones of seafood each year. Dahanu has approx. 21 fishing hamlets and about 7 fish landing centres and has 3 kinds of fishing activities carried out viz. the deep sea, the brackish water and the inland. Intensive estuarine fishing activity is carried out due to the large number of creeks and bays.
Some of the marine products include Indian Monk fish (Dhara), Jew fish (Ghol), Dori (Koth), Golden Anchovy, Catfish, Sole, Thread fins, Puffer fish, Pipe fish, Pomfret, Scat fish, Octopus, Sepia, Loligo, Squilla, Ribbon fish, Eel, Clupeid, Shark, Rays, Croaker, Sardines, Mudskippers, Lobsters, Crabs and Oysters.
Toddy Tapping :
In addition you see rare examples of subsistence agricultural activities among indigenous people.
Toddy tapping which is one of the oldest occupations of the land, is still keeping the inflow of revenue on a high. It is freely available and lends itself admirably to Parsi food and local bakery products. Traditionally, in and around Dahanu, toddy is extracted from the Palmyra tree whose fruit is the summer ice-apple commonly known as tadgola. The labourers who do the tapping are a skilled lot of the adivasis. They are known as Bhandaris, or toddy tappers. Gujarat being a dry state, many visitors come to Bordi, Gholvad and Dahanu in large numbers to get a kick out of toddy, the naturally fermented juice of the palmyra tree. But the same drink when taken in early hours of the day, better known as 'neera', in its pure and natural form is considered to be extremely good for the health as it is believed to have medicinal values.
Forest Wealth, Crops and Livestock :
Dahanu taluka provides the important forest trees which include Ain (Terminalia tomentosa), Amba (Mangifera indica, the mango), Apta (Bauhinia racemosa), Avla (Phyllanthus emblica), Babhul (Acacia arabica), Bamboo, Bel, Bibla (Pterocarpus marsupium), Bhava (Cassia fistula), Bor (Zizyphus jujuba), Chilhar, Chinch (Tamarindus indica), Hed (Nauclea cordifolia), Jambul (Eugenia jambolana), Kakad (Garuga pinnota), Kalamb (Stephegyne or Nauclea parvifolia), Karand (Carissa Carandas), Karonj (Pongamia glabra), Karvi (Strobilanthus grahamianus), Khair (Acacia catechu), Moha (Bassia latifolia, a liquor yielding tree), Nimb (Melia indica), Palas (Butea frondosa), Palm, Phanas (Antocarpus integrifolia), Sag (Tectona grandis, the teak), Savar (Bombax malabaricum), Shikakai, Shisav (Dalbergia latifolia), Sura (Casuarina equisetifolia), Tad, Tivar (Avicennia tomentosa), etc. and forest products like charcoal, gum, honey, apart from the firewood, which, provides the major
source of energy, also an important source of income for the tribals.1
It has the 3rd highest area under forests in Thane district which are amongst the most valuable and well preserved forests in Maharashtra and has a recorded data of 120 varieties of trees, 122 species of common plants, 48 species of shrubs, 72 species of herbs and grass, 54 types of medicinal plants, 3 species of bamboo, 7 plant species that have been declared as rare and endangered, 79 species of wild birds and 97 types of wild animals; one-fourth of them being categorized as endangered.
It has a significant share in terms of area under food grains and food crops as well as significant area under vegetable cultivation, grass fodder and most importantly the Chikoos apart from Coconuts, Mangoes and other fruits.
It also has a significant share in the livestock economy, having one of the highest proportions of total and cross breed cows and goats in the district.
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1:Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency (Facsimile Reproduction) Thana. Originally printed in 1882. Volume XIII, Part I, pp. 23-31.
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The 'Sapodilla' fruit
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The Coconut fruit
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The Lychee fruit
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The white Loveapples
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The Ice-Apple fruit
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Fishing
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Toddy Tapping
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Warlis in the 'karvi' jungles
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Save Bahrot Campaign
