Fisheries Min ister Nilkanth Halarnkar ruled out any steps being taken by the government at this stage to control the price of fish being sold in the market, saying these prices are determined by various factors and natu rally go up and down over time. The Minister was re sponding to queries from the media about the recent steep hike in fish pric es, across local markets during the spell of heavy rains. Several fish vendors had even urged the gov ernment to step in and fix maximum selling rates. Halarnkar attributed the higher prices to mar ket forces, particularly the costs fishermen incur when they go out to sea in rough conditions, noting that the price hike also co incided with recent weeks of heavy rainfall. “There is no fixed price for fish. It depends on many factors, including the cost fish ermen incur when they go out to sea, especially during rough weather,” he said. He added that the price is decided between fish ermen and sellers and that such practices are not unique to Goa. “Even in restaurants, the menu of ten states that the price of fish varies — it’s the same in the market,” he said. The Minister also ac knowledged the hardships faced by fishermen, saying this is the reason why the number of boats out at sea during the season is comparatively much lower than it was 15 years ago. He said that back then, the price of fish was also low er, but that it was in keep ing with those times. “If you compare the number of boats that were there at that time to now, it is far less,” he added, allud ing to the difficulties fish ermen face in sustaining their livelihoods, which is also important. Halarnkar further point ed out that the government has extended various in centives to boat owners, including subsidies earlier, and continues to support the fisheries sector through multiple schemes. He said the interests of traditional fishermen, in particular, are followed up regularly. The Minister made this point to explain that while the gov ernment continues to help the fishing community, it cannot step in to control the prices of fish sold in the market. His remarks come in the backdrop of O Heraldo’s front-page coverage and vendor appeals over the sharp rise in fish prices in Goa, which had prompted public debate on wheth er government regulation was needed. Several ven dors had told reporters that high wholesale prices and lower daily catches had reduced their mar gins and affected customer turnout, with many buyers cutting down on seafood purchases
No Government Control on Fish Prices, Says Fisheries Minister Nilkanth Halarnkar
