Team Herald
PORVORIM: With fish an important staple food for Goans, the State government on Monday informed the House that a Fisheries Corporation will be formed to keep a tab on the price of this essential commodity.
Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant said, “The government is planning to form a Fisheries Corporation in the State in order to provide fish at reasonable rates to the local public.”
“The process towards the formation of Fisheries Corporation is under process,” he said in a written reply tabled on the floor of the House to a question by Congress MLAs Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco, Digambar Kamat and BJP MLAs Clafasio Dias and Antonio Fernandes.
The chief minister was responding to a question on why there is no price control mechanism in place when the government is providing a number of facilities, incentives, subsidies to trawlers and fishing community.
They also questioned about preventive measures to ensure that trawlers from neighbouring States don’t venture into Goan waters to fish during the period when fishing is banned in the monsoon.
Responding to the question, Sawant said that as per directives of the Central Government there is a uniform monsoon fishing ban in the Indian Exclusive Zone (EEZ) beyond territorial waters on the East and West Coast imposed on East Coast from April 15 to June 14, West Coast from June 1 to July 31.
“During the monsoon fishing ban period, fishermen associations are informed about the ban period and Coastal Security, Police Station and Coast Guard are requested to conduct patrolling in the seas,” he added.
