Bakers seek subsidy to switch over to solar-powered ovens

Bakers at the St Sebastian Church, Aquem for an Eucharistic celebration to mark International Baker’s Day on Saturday.

Photo Credits: Santosh Mirajkar

MARGAO

On International Baker’s Day, Goan bakers have expressed their willingness to switch over from traditional firewood to solar-powered ovens provided the government comes out with a subsidy.

The anxiety of the Goan bakers to go for solar-powered ovens is understandable with the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) issuing a deadline to shut down all firewood powered ovens in the coming year.

Sadly, while the bakers are ready to try their hands with solar powered ovens, the government’s response to their plea for subsidies has not been encouraging so far.

President of All Goa Association of Bakers, Agapito Menezes told The Goan after an Eucharistic celebration at the St. Sebastian Church, Aquem on Saturday to mark International Baker’s Day  that government subsidy will decide the future of the traditional pao making occupation of Goans.

He lamented that the government has not been proactive in addressing the issues plaguing the pao making occupation. “Unless the government comes out with a bail out subsidy, the traditional pao making business will have a bleak future”, Agapito warned.

Citing an instance, he said the GSPCB has issued a notice to the Goan bakers running the bakeries with firewood to shut down the ovens from next year. 

‘Immediately, we made a representation to bail out the bakers with subsidy to switch over to solar-powered ovens. This representation was made by the bakers long ago, but there is still no reply from the government till date”, he said.

Saying the solar-powered ovens could be an answer to the traditional fire wood ovens to reduce the cost of production in the long run. “I had tried the solar powered ovens, and it has helped to bring down the cost of production. The excess energy can be sold to the grid, but the government should come out with a package”, he said.

He added: “We had also called on the GSPCB with a plea to give the bakers the solar powered ovens. Since the solar powered ovens could offer a solution and also benefit the bakers, we had asked for subsidies to switch over to solar ovens, but the subsidies are not forthcoming”.

Saying the traditional pao making occupation is passing through a difficult phase, Agapito said the Association had around 1000 registered members, with 75 per cent of the members hailing from Salcete. 

“With the traditional bakers are shutting down their business since it no longer economically viable and moving abroad, the bakeries are now being run by outsiders on contact. Today, at many plae we do not get the Goan pao to eat”.

The Association President said past attempts made by the government to bail out the occupation with subsidies had failed to take off for reasons best known to the government.