Members of All Goa Poultry Farmers and Traders Welfare Committee attend a meeting in Margao on Monday. Captured by : Santosh Mirajkar
MARGAO
The All Goa Poultry Farmers and Traders Welfare Committee on Monday opposed any move to monopolise the poultry industry and the free trade of poultry in Goa.
In an apparent show of strength, poultry farmers and traders from across the State assembled at the Ravindra Bhavan, Margao, and opposed any move to monopolise the poultry trade. Expressing concern over attempts made to harass Goa's poultry farmers and traders by a handful of traders, they feared that this was a clear attempt to pave the way for corporates to enter Goa and control the poultry trade.
The meeting adopted a resolution demanding that the government support the poultry business by releasing subsidies on time. The farmers and traders pointed out that timely disbursal of subsidies would encourage farmers to revive their farms and boost production. They also stated that until local production meets the poultry requirements, there should be no halt to the ongoing practice of bringing poultry from outside the State.
Explaining that a handful of traders, who have formed a society, are insisting that poultry farmers and traders register with them using a QR code, they questioned the logic of registering with this private entity when they have been paying one per cent cess to the government.
Mario Valladares said the Goan poultry farmers and traders had been forced to come together because of a handful of individuals who have been threatening the industry for their "vested interests". “We have called on Chief Minister Pramod Sawant with our grievances against these individuals. We will meet the CM again, and we are confident that he will remove the Goan poultry farmers and traders from the clutches of the evil people who want to take over our industry and business,” he said.
He added: “When the government mechanism is in place, such as Health, Animal Husbandry, Waste Management, etc., why do we need any private individuals to control the poultry trade?”
Another poultry farmer and trader said attempts are being made to reduce Goan poultry farmers and traders to transporters, as a handful of individuals have sought to monopolise the business.
Poultry farmer Sadanand Parsekar blamed the recently formed group for trying to monopolise the poultry trade by demanding that all farmers and traders conduct business through their organisation.
Another poultry farmer/trader, Lawrence Fernandes, explained how the farmers and traders had slogged over the years to reach this stage. Urging the poultry farmers and traders to remain united and not tolerate any illegal activities, he said the local poultry farmers/traders would not tolerate any attempts to monopolise the trade, no matter what.
