Plans to temporarily relocate the wholesale fish market from Fatorda to the Verna Industrial Estate have sparked anxiety among the fisher-folk, particularly those who rely on selling small baskets of fish in villages for their livelihood. Speaking to O Heraldo, fisherwomen and small-scale fish sellers who go house-to-house on cycles and bikes, expressed apprehension about the impact of the proposed move on their income. They fear that traveling to Verna to purchase fish wholesale and then returning to sell it in villages would impose financial strain and cut into their profits.
The South Goa Planning and Development Authority has proposed to shift the market to Verna for a period of six months, to complete the ongoing work of the wholesale fish market complex at Fatorda. The wholesale fish traders have already expressed their objections to this temporary relocation.
Piedade Fernandes, a fish seller from Davorlim, said she would be forced to stop selling fish if the market is shifted to Verna. She highlighted the inflexibility and increased expenses associated with traveling to Verna, which would outweigh the profits earned. She claimed that presently, she manages to get around four to five varieties of fish in a small bucket that helps her to earn around Rs 2,000 per day, but travelling to Verna will eat into the profits.
Similarly, Rosada Barreto from Chinchinim emphasised the additional costs and time of transportation to Verna, which would compel her to raise fish prices in the village. As a mother with no other source of income, she expressed concern about the hardships this shift would impose on her and urged authorities to consider the fishing community’s well-being before making such decisions.
Anthony Dias, a youth from Curtorim who recently began selling fish on his scooter, raised concerns about the potential rise in fish prices resulting from the market relocation. He urged the authorities to find a solution beneficial to all parties, warning that the proposed move could lead to the emergence of mini fish markets on the roadside.