Sale of fish continues unabated in Mapusa
Despite the formalin scare, the regular market goers and fish lovers continue to frequent the Mapusa market. No doubt the ban on fishing activities has also led to a huge hike in the prices of fish in the state. The assurances given by the State government that the available fish is formalin free and has been tested before it enters the markets have probably taken out the fear from the locals.
A local, Xavier Fernandes told Herald that there is a formalin scare for a long time but that has not managed to stop him and his family from consuming fish.
“In the market fish is available and people are buying fish. No doubt the fish prices are on a higher side but that is due to the less quantity available and the ban on fishing. Despite the fish ban the Mapusa market has enough fish to provide for the Goans,” he said.
A restaurant owner from Mapusa, Milesh Bugde said that there is a lot of fish, which is being imported as well stored and frozen which is now being made available.
“There was a lot of fish that was stored and frozen when the supply was abundant and is now being made available in the markets. No doubt the prices are high but accordingly, we have to reduce on the portion we are serving at the restaurants. The people who do not mention the rates on their menu cards can accordingly adjust their rates but others who have mentioned the rates on their menus will have to bear a loss,” said Bugde.
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ish loving Goans received a mighty scare on July 12, last year when the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) acting upon a tip off raided the whole sale fish market at Margao and tested the fish in 17 vehicles that had come from across the State only to discover that there was formalin in the fish transported.
This triggered a war of words with a lot of bravado and also some action but unfortunately one year down the line and people have still not gained confidence in the fish that is available in the market and the authorities have failed to provide testing facilities in the market.
In fact, former chief minister Churchill Alemao, whose family is involved in the fish trade, advised people to resort to what the ancestors did by not eating fresh fish during the monsoons and instead rely upon dried fish or fish pickles like ‘parra’.
Public outrage
The 17 vehicles that had tested positive for formalin one year back had come from different states like Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, Kerala and even neighbouring Maharashtra. While the fish tested positive for formalin in the early hours at 4 am when it was tested, later tests conducted at the FDA laboratory in Porvorim resulted in the authorities saying the formalin was within “permissible limits”.
This led to activists demanding to know what “permissible limits” was and whether a preservative like formalin can be used to preserve food items and the faith that people lost in the fish available in the market is yet to be restored.
In fact a local lawyer filed a case on July 30, only to withdraw it to file another one on October, 19 2018 against the Superintendent of Police South and Fatorda Police Inspector for failure to book the truck owners and drivers for supplying formalin laced fish to Goans and the case is still going on in the courts.
Fish Vendors disillusioned
President of Margao Retail Fish Vendors Association Felix Gonsalves says their business is yet to recover. “The retail fish vendors are badly affected as our business is reduced to nearly half of what we used to do earlier,” he said.
He also lamented that the fish testing facility that was supposed to be made available in the market is yet to commence though the authorities are now testing the fish at the borders of Goa as it is being brought into Goa.
While initially the government banned fish imports for 15 days the same was subsequently extended for six months and fish imports started only towards the end of December last year and that too only in insulated vehicles while non insulated vehicles are sent back from the borders.
Politics added to the fray
Political parties were quick to capitalize on the issue too with Congress testing the fish solely in the retail market and as some of it tested positive panic set in and people refused to purchase fish resulting in the fish vendors turning against Congress.
Churchill Alemao who represents the NCP too joined in demanding that people be provided safe and unadulterated fish and along with the Congress demanded action against the person responsible for this.
Former MLA Mickky Pacheco called for a total ban on importing fish and said since the government had spent around Rs. 160 crore in providing subsidy to the 837 trawlers registered in Goa, the fish caught by these trawlers should be sold to Goans.
Maulana Ibrahim’s version
All sections blamed Maulana Ibrahim who was the president of Margao Wholesale Fish Market Association to be responsible for providing formalin laced fish to Goan as it was alleged that he started importing fish from the eastern states of Andhra Pradesh, Chennai and Orissa when fishing was banned in Goa due to the onset of South West monsoons.
However Maulana, while clarifying that he imports fish, which is taken directly to his fish processing unit and not sold in the market, demanded that fish testing laboratory be set up in the whole sale market to allay people’s fears.
Much ado about a lab
There were numerous inspections and various interactions in between and on January 27, 2019 the plaque was unveiled to what was proposed to be the office and laboratory of the Export Inspection Agency of the Export Inspection Council set up by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
Former Union Minister Suresh Prabhu, while unveiling the plaque in the presence of then minister Vijai Sardessai and Health Minister Vishwajit Rane had said the laboratory would be functioning by May but it is yet to commence operations though we are in July and the office is perpetually closed.
Vijai Sardessai who was at the forefront in dealing with this issue reiterates that it is a genuine issue raised by the public and said it was due to his efforts that the laboratory was set up in the SGPDA market.
Further, he said he was instrumental in getting the SGPDA to allot required land at the Wholesale Fish Market to set up a laboratory for which the tenders are likely to be floated very shortly. “Now it is the duty of the government to set up this laboratory and ensure that the food consumed by Goans is actually food and not poison,” he said.
