MARGAO
Agriculture Minister Vijai Sardesai on Tuesday said that he would insist on the ban on imported fish if the proposed state-of-the-art laboratory will take a long time to
materialise.
“I am all for a ban on the imported fish into the State. However, senior government officials led by the Chief Secretary Dharmendra Sharma are of the opinion that a ban should be the last resort and that the administration should not go for the last resort as a first option,” Sardesai told the media on Tuesday.
The Minister said he would call on the Union Commerce Minister Suresh Prabhu again on October 27 in Delhi, wherein he would discuss the issue over the time frame for the proposed lab to become a reality. “If the lab will take some months to take shape, I will again insist on a ban on the import of fish in the State,” he asserted.
The Agriculture Minister said Union Minister Suresh Prabhu has plans to set up the state-of-the-art lab in Goa to bring the State on par with European standards and ensure that the food, including fish, being consumed by people is safe and fit for consumption. “The same agency which oversees the quality of fish that is exported out of Goa will also check the food items in the State,” he added.
