Fishing for Trouble
Goa’s ban on fish imports over suspicion of contamination sparks protests in Karnataka
About 300,000 fishermen in coastal Karnataka are being forced to sell their catch at throwaway prices—just Rs 500 for a kilo of pomfret that used to fetch Rs 1,200 just two weeks ago. Their distress is driven by the Goa government’s unilateral decision to ban fish imports from six coastal states, including Karnataka, following complaints of formaldehyde contamination.
Agitated fisherfolk in Karnataka are blocking the transportation of other commodities—fresh vegetables, fruits and milk—crucial to Goa’s thriving tourism industry, which is currently in peak season. This is because many Karnataka fishermen rely on export-oriented fisheries units located mostly in Goa.
The situation nearly sparked a confrontation between protesting fishermen picketing interstate checkpoints and the police on November 18. It forced the Karnataka government
to step in with assurances that the issue would be taken up with the Goa state government.
Sadath Khan, a leader of the Coastal Karnataka Fishermen’s Action Committee, insists that the ban is unfair. According to him, formalin was detected in fish supplied from Tamil Nadu, following which Goa imposed a blanket ban on fish imports. The decision, he said, has affected hundreds of thousands of livelihoods.
Before the ban, some 60 truckloads (15-17 tonnes each) of fish caught from the Arabian Sea was being supplied to consumers in Goa per day. This included the catch from fisherfolk in Dakshina Kannada, Uttara Kannada and Udupi districts of Karnataka. Since the ban, however, prices of highly sought-after fish varieties, such as pomfret, king fish, ladyfish, silver fish and tiger prawns, have halved or worse. Adding to the fishermen’s woes is the fact that despite the throwaway prices, local export units in the state are not picking up the excess stocks.
Besides Karnataka, fishing communities in at least five other states are bearing the brunt of Goa’s ban. The tourist-reliant state has made it mandatory for fishermen’s associations to procure time-consuming, and often expensive, certifications from food safety authorities or agencies. Karnataka fishermen say it is all the more laborious in the absence of a single agency for all the requisite certification.
Karnataka’s food and civil supplies minister U.T. Khader blames the Goa government for the mess. “The least they (Goa government) could have done is consult the Karnataka government before imposing the ban. Such a unilateral decision is against the spirit of the federal structure of the country,” he said. Khader added that the issue was now being addressed at the level of chief ministers.
Relations between Karnataka and Goa have not been the best of late, particularly following the escalation of the Mahadayi (Mandovi) river water diversion issue. Analysts say things could become embarrassing for the BJP, which has a strong presence in the coastal districts of Karnataka. Karnataka revenue minister R.V. Deshphande said in Mangaluru on November 25 that he had spoken to the Goa government on the issue. “Goa will accept our fish stock if fishermen obtain concerned certificates,” he said even as a delegation of fishermen, led by coastal Karnataka MPs, prepared to meet Goa officials.
BEFORE THE BAN, 900-1,000 TONNES OF SEA FISH WERE BEING SUPPLIED TO GOA PER DAY