PANAJI
Following strong demand and positive response during Ganesh Chaturthi, the State government is considering continuing the sale of subsidised coconuts at its outlets even after the festival celebrations.
In a bid to meet the rising demand and to stabilise the market prices, the Goa State Horticulture Corporation (GSHC) had procured around 75,000 coconuts from neighbouring Karnataka to supplement domestic supply and address price volatility.
The coconuts on subsidised rates were made available across 1200 horticulture outlets, across the State from August 15 and the Corporation, initially announced to continue the supply till the 11th day of the festival.
Speaking to media persons on Monday, Horticulture Chairman Premendra Shet said that the government is considering extending the sale of coconuts at subsidised rates through the Horticulture outlets, beyond festive season; though the final decision has not been taken yet.
“We received very good response from the public during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival. In just 12-15 days, 75,000 coconuts were sold at a subsidised rate of Rs 45 per piece. We were happy that we could provide relief to our people during the festive season from the soaring prices of coconut,” Shet said.
He said that if the public demand continues, the government may consider selling coconuts at subsidised rates across outlets along with other items.
“If the scheme is to continue, we will need to import coconuts in lakhs and explore 3“4 more sources. We just cannot procure from Karnataka alone to meet the demand,” Shet stated, adding that various options are currently under consideration.
