Fish imports banned for 15 days

CATCH OF THE DAY
Said Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar ...
* Measure of 'abundant caution' since fish is a part of the staple food in Goa and the issue concerns public health
* Estuarine and river fish besides local coastal catch from the 'ramponkars' will make fish available in the State
* Local trawlers are slated to begin their operations on August 1, and no shortage will be faced by the State
* Will post our officers and instructions will be issued at the borders not to allow fish trucks entering the state
* In these 15 days of the ban, the FDA will be putting in place the plan to monitor safety of the fish stocks sold in markets
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CM DUCKS QUESTIONS
ON THE CONTROVERSY
* The chief minister declined to go into the nitty-gritties of the controversy and parried all questions on the alleged use of 'formalin' in fish
* There is no point commenting on the issue which nobody has understood properly, Parrikar told media persons at the State Secretariat
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Traders drop anchor: Won't
deal, not even frozen fish

MARGAO: Leave alone fish imported from outside the state, the wholesale fish market will not play host even to frozen fish stored in the fish processing factories in the industrial estates.
For, wholesale fish agents trading in frozen fish have resolved not to bring the fish in the market from today (Thursday), even though frozen fish is presently stored in the fish processing industries located within the state.
Frozen fish along with fish imported from across the state borders were sold in the wholesale fish market in the last one month and half after the ban on fishing had come into force in the state from June 1. Though frozen fish makes its presence felt in the wholesale fish during the fishing ban period, with traders eager to cash in on the fish shortage, sources in the know said that frozen fish has still not caught the attention of the fish loving Goans, with people preferring fresh fish.
The Wholesale Fish Traders Association, which had an emergency meeting on Wednesday evening near the wholesale fish market, has resolved not to trade in the wholesale fish market till the ban on the import of outside fish is lifted on August 3.
Association president, M Ibrahim said the meeting, which was attended by 60-odd members, have decided not to trade in fish as per the government’s order. “Even frozen fish which is stored in the factories will not be brought to the wholesale fish market during the next 15 days. The wholesalers will not trade in the wholesale fish market till August 3,” he said.
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PANAJI: With the 'formalin in fish' controversy refusing to die down, the Goa government imposed a 15-day ban on all fish imports into the State until August 3.
"The government has decided to ban fish imports to eliminate the problem entirely. The notification will be issued by today (Wednesday) evening," Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar said at a specially convened press conference at the State Secretariat on Wednesday afternoon.
Parrikar said, the decision was taken as a measure of "abundant caution" since fish is a part of the staple food in Goa and the issue concerns public health.
He also said that estuarine and river fish besides local coastal catch from the 'ramponkars' will make fish available in the State. Also, local trawlers are slated to begin their operations on August 1 after the annual fishing ban ends, and no shortage will be faced by the State, he added.
"We will post our officers and instructions will be issued at the borders not to allow fish trucks entering the state," Parrikar said, adding that the notification is being issued under the prevailing FDA laws.
The chief minister also declined to go into the nitty-gritties of the controversy and parried all questions on the alleged use of 'formalin' in fish.
"There is no point commenting on the issue which nobody has understood properly," Parrikar said, while also admitting that FDA does not have the full mechanism to check and therefore the decision to ban import of fish.
Meanwhile, Health Secretary J Ashok Kumar, IAS issued the notification imposing a ban on storage, distribution and sale of fresh fish brought from outside the State for consumption in Goa.
Kumar, who is also the Commissioner of Food Safety, issued the notification invoking sections of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, and cited the possibility of fish vendors selling fresh fish which are treated/added with formalin/formaldehyde which is not permitted.
The 'formalin in fish' controversy first erupted on Thursday last when teams of the FDA swooped down on the wholesale fish market in Margao and in pre-dawn raids tested fish samples from 17 truck consignments coming in from other States.
The tests confirmed presence of 'formaldehyde' indicating use of 'formalin' to extend shelf life by the trade and the FDA teams shut the markets directing the traders not to sell fish until further orders.
The same evening the FDA lifted its suspension of fish trade claiming subsequent tests it conducted on the samples at its laboratory in Bambolim had revealed that quantities of 'formalin' were found to be within "permissible limits" and declared the fish safe for consumption.
Intermittently, Agriculture Minister Vijai Sardessai, who was approached by representatives of the fish trade, tweeted that the seafood was safe for consumption as the FDA has confirmed that 'formalin' was within permissible limits. The minister's tweet pre-dating the official statement led to the issue blowing up into a major controversy with Opposition parties and others alleging political pressure on the FDA.
Business at fish markets across the State was majorly hit due to the controversy. Wednesday's ban on fish markets, according to Parrikar, will "eliminate the problem" of unsafe fish due to the spectre of use of formalin on outstation consignments.
In these 15 days of the ban, the FDA will be putting in place the plan to monitor safety of the fish stocks sold in markets, Parrikar said. The FDA has also been directed to be stringent with use of banned preservatives and ripening agents for fruits and vegetables as well, the chief minister said.