It was heart-breaking to read the news story of our Agriculture Minister and Father of Goenkarponn tell Goan farmers to grow vegetables for export. Is this real? Is this the new version of Goenkarponn?
Our fruit and vegetables coming from outside the state are full of chemicals and preservatives (naturally as they come from afar) and worse, the FDA does not have the necessary manpower to make comprehensive check-ups and so vendors and importers of this dangerous trade are enjoying a celebratory occasion, every day. Does the minister expect Goan consumers to eat and enjoy this poisonous food - fruit and vegetables - while our own Goan farmers are encouraged to export healthy fruit and vegetables to countries all over the world for the good health of the whole world except the people who live in Goa, our very own Goans? This policy is not putting Goans first; it is putting Goans last! Is this an index of our elective members capability and agenda? Is this the new Goenkarponn? The outside traders will be able to increase their market share of fruits and vegetables, but for whose benefit? If not for the Goan consumer, then for whom? Would the Agriculture Minister please clarify this to the Goan consumers so we are sure what the minister is thinking on this subject? Doesn't the minister want Goans to eat healthy food and vegetables and not food laced with all kinds of chemicals as is necessary as the food comes from great distances, and even as far away as Thailand? Is the government playing with the lives of Goans? We want clear and convincing answers and not some mumbo-jumbo which we often hear on TV debates for the consumption of idiots only. For how long are Goans expected to tolerate trickery and insults from our MLAs? Government policies do not appear in the least to favor the local Goans. It is always in favor of the outsiders. Are Goans expected to accept suicidal policies of the government or otherwise simply have to pack up and go abroad to do work which some people who live in Goa find extremely amusing? Is this the new Goemkarponn? Not only have Goans not recovered from the formalin scare then our Agriculture Minister wastes no time in adding insult to injury. The much-hyped market in Margao and the wholesale market in Fatorda often appear empty with Goans checking out the fish as though there is a bomb hidden somewhere which is likely to explode. The government is going to have a hard time bringing back even a little trust before the Goan consumer will be able to trust the government again. When the health and lives of people are in danger it is a bigger challenge than a 5-year old master plan. It is nothing short of a nightmare. Meanwhile, a lot of fish is now being sold in the villages along the coasts as people living along the coasts are showing an eagerness to purchase fish from local fishermen and fisherwomen, people whom they can trust, people whose faces are recognizable and familiar to them. Stop 1: Fish is sold on the beaches. Stop 2: Fish is sold in the local markets. Stop 3: Fish is sold in a designated area in markets in towns for ramponkars only. From next month when the shacks open it will be good business for the fishermen and better business for the shack owners. The tourists will be happy to learn their fish comes directly from the beach. They have come to Goa to holiday and eat fresh seafood from our seaside tourist state. Not to fall ill or get cancer. People feel safe when they buy fresh fish from people who live in their own villages. This is an example of Goans becoming the architects of their own Goa, solving problems through their own efforts and initiatives - the new Goa which is beyond idiotic and mind-numbing slogans, and shameless behavior. The mood is spreading everywhere. Goans first, for a new Goa.
