Goa will not bow to pressure from anybody on the issue of testing fish for the presence of formalin...

Panaji, Nov 3 (PTI): Goa will not bow to pressure from anybody on the issue of testing fish for the presence of formalin, state Agriculture Minister Vijai Sardesai said Saturday. He was reacting to a reported statement by a Maharashtra politician allegedly threatening to stop vehicles from Goa from entering Sindhudurg district if Goa does not allow fish-carrying trucks from Maharashtra to enter.

In the wake of fears that fish being brought into the state was laced with formalin, a potential cancer causing chemical, Goa Food and Drugs Administration has imposed stringent conditions, including testing, on fish trucks coming from outside the state. The Goa FDA has also made it mandatory for fish traders to have a licence to import fish.

"We cannot be deterred by threats or pressure tactics from anybody within or outside Goa. The people of Goa demand the best quality of food and the state government has to respect that," said Sardesai. He praised the regulatory mechanism set in place by the FDA to check fish-laden trucks entering the state and said Goa Health Minister Vishwajit Rane, under whose ministry the FDA operates, had taken a proactive decision in this regard.