FRIDAY, APRIL 26, 2024
VIKANT SAHAY
During the lockdown innovative household businesses mushroomed to mitigate losses from salary cuts and job losses. In Goa several households started advertising their homemade products on social media including whatsapp groups, ranging from pickles, bread, restaurant style dishes, snacks, etc. In fact it has been well accepted and people have started ordering and business has picked up.
As these household home delivery businesses started flourishing it raised eye brows of the regular restaurant owners as they feel that there is no level-playing field. The restaurants owners believe that they pay electricity bill, municipal and panchayat taxes, garbage collection tax, use industrial gas cylinders etc. On the other hand household businesses have none of these concerns in their home kitchen and the product cost is far less than the restaurant.
The issue was raised on a formal platform and the Goa Chambers of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) took the initiative and discussed it with the managing committee and also with the Goa Hotels and Restaurant Association President to come to a conclusion that household business must be encouraged but at the same time they too need to be streamlined. The managing committee also realised that many who are doing business from home are well-know chefs who were working in cruise liners and now they are without a job.
President of the GCCI, Manoj Caculo said, “We want such businesses to continue but there should be some regulation like licence from Food and Drug Administration and FSSAI etc so that the hygiene is also maintained and it is safe for all. We from the GCCI will not only support but promote such businesses by organising seminars and workshops to help them know what are the requirements with regard to finance, hygiene, approvals from authorities etc. During COVID-19 days everyone is suffering and we must help them. There are some cruise liner chefs who are doing this business as that’s the only skill they have.”
The President of the Goa Hotels and Restaurant Association, Gaurish Dhond said, “We have to look after that section of the society too which out of compulsion had to start business from home. It is their livelihood now as many people have lost their jobs or have faced salary cuts. We have to bring them onboard and we will not object but we are also a competitor. A healthy competition is always welcome and the household businesses also need to follow norms if any, which will bring in confidence among the customers too.”
President of the Travel and Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG), Nilesh Shah, said “It is the issue of survival under present circumstances. Not as much a commercial venture. Government should come out with a sensitive policy to support each one of them. In fact, the restaurant owners have to pay several taxes when they are doing the business while the household business does not have such compliances to meet. The government has to look into it sympathetically and there has to be a level playing field for all.”
Vinita Lobo who runs homemade mango pickles and jam set up from her home in Socorro is of the view that, home businesses are overwhelmingly run by women. Any approach from the government, if done correctly, provides an excellent opportunity for them to be a formal part of the workforce and to continue being the lifeline they are supporting our families and communities at this time.
“Any support or potential regulation from the government must account for the challenges of running a small business; smaller profit margins, reduced labour, and challenges attaining essential products and ingredients. This period presents an excellent opportunity for growth for small business owners. The government should take on the role of educating small business owners on digital platforms improving our understanding of risk, the financial support available and improving the mechanisms that are utilised by home businesses,” said Lobo.
Shweta Chari Kumar, a resident of Taleigaon who is facing tough times due to financial crisis due to her husband’s job loss had no option but to cook and sell. She uses whatsapp and phone calls for orders and prepares it according to the order placed before delivering it to homes in and around Panjim.
“We used to organise events in Goa and now everything is closed down. I am running this business from my kitchen and hygiene is our top priority. I would also like to get a license from the FDA. My only request is that such processes needs to be simplified for household ladies as their skill are on cooking and presenting good food and not on laws and processes. The system needs to be simplified which will help all of us to join the mainstream,” said Kumar.
Amit Shah who runs ‘Nidhi’s Kitchen’ from Miramar has lately discontinued the home kitchen services just to take precaution from the rising COVID-19 cases in Goa. When asked about his willingness to get his business in the mainstream, he responded by saying, “Yes, of course I would like to as running a business from a society complex is not allowed by the rules. In fact, I would now take a commercial place and run the business in a more formal manner rather than from my home kitchen.”
