Fishermen Congress demands Goa to Lift Ban on the Fish Imports

Fishermen Congress demands Goa to Lift Ban on the Fish Imports

Udupi: All India Fishermen Congress on Monday demanded the Goa government to lift the ban imposed on the import of fish from other states including Karnataka.

Speaking at the press meet held at the Press Club on Tuesday, November 20, UR Sabhapati, working chairman of AIFC, said that a delegation of All India Fishermen Congress met the State Fisheries Minister Vinod Palyekar and demanded him to revoke the ban on the import of fish.

Our Delegation demanded to lift the ban on the import of fish in Goa. Due to the ban, the entire trade of fish with Goa has come to a standstill. The ban is imposed by the Goa Health Department’s Food and Drugs Administration section following the scare of formalin being used in the fish spread across the State. The FDA has put up stringent guidelines to import the fish, which are needed to be followed up by the traders.

The government had told traders to use insulated vehicles, ensure scientific stacking of ice to fish ratio, and maintain cleanliness parameters for transporting fish.

He said that the ban has affected the fishing community from neighbouring districts of Karnataka. Fearing the presence of formalin in fish coming from outside the state, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of Goa issued a circulation denying entry permit to the trucks carrying fish from Karnataka.

“The lab tests have proved that no formalin was used to keep the fish fresh. The fishermen from Coastal districts have been carrying out fish business for several decades. The ban by the Goa government has hit the fishermen hard”, he said.

“We have explained the ground realities and have highlighted how fishermen use only ice and not formalin,” he said.

Sabhapathy said the delegation has requested the Goa government to revoke the ban keeping the interests of fishermen in mind. The ministers, responding to their requests, informed them that they had not banned, but had imposed restrictions on the sale of fish, he said.

They wanted fish to be transported in the insulated trucks. The fishermen find it hard to purchase the insulated trucks which cost nearly Rs 24 lakh. It will be an additional burden on the fishermen, he added.

He said that the fishes preserved using chemicals can be identified easily as the colour of the fishes changes with the help of simple tests. The ice blocks used to keep fish fresh in fact is cheap when compared to formalin, he said.

He appealed to the Goa government on sensitising police, about the restrictions, as it is not a complete ban. The police at the border are stopping trucks with fishes from the coast without understanding the situation. Initially, the ban was for six months and now it has been extended, he said.

AIFC national general secretary Peeru M Saheb, National Secretary Kiran Kumar Udyavar, Ramesh Thingalalya and others were present.