VASCO: Traditional Goan fishermen have hit the nail on the head. They have rightfully demanded that the SGPDA market which was built at the initiative of the late general secretary of Goenchea Ramponkarancho Ekvott Matanhy Saldanha, should be handed over to them. Implicit in their demand was to free the market from the control of outsider fish traders.
South Goa Fishermen Federation of Wholesale Fish Market (SGFFWFM) which is a association of boat and traditional fishermen of South Goa on Tuesday submitted a memorandum to Wilfred D’Sa, chairman of SGPDA, to this effect
Agnelo Rodrigues, president of Goenchea Ramponkarancho Ekvott (GRE) said that the SGPDA wholesale fish market was built to serve the fishermen of South Goa and therefore the fishermen of South Goa are the rightful owners of this area. Therefore, GRE has demanded that this market should be handed over to the traditional fishermen of South Goa or to the South Goa Fishermen Federation of Wholesale Fish Market, which comprises of all fishermen of South Goa.
Furthermore, Viney Tari, president of Cutbona Fishing Co-op Society Ltd has said, “Today, due to drop in catch and less demand we are completely running at a loss and if this carries on then we will have to shut down our business. The running cost per voyage/trip for boat owners varies from Rs 30,000 to 4 lakh depending upon the size and engine of the trawlers and today if we can’t recover this cost then it will be suicidal for the mechanised sector of Goa.”
Later, Olencio Simoes, general secretary of Goenchea Ramponkarancho Ekvott said that the government should follow the Prime Minister’s call of “Vocal for Local” and safeguard the interest of the fishing community of Goa as traditional fishermen are facing severe hardships. They can’t even recover their daily expenses incurred during a fishing trip. Therefore, to safeguard their interests, the SGPDA should immediately act and take necessary decision to safeguard this traditional occupation before it gets extinct.
