Goa Minister Michael Lobo: 'Increasing onion prices have affected state's tourism badly'

As onion prices continue to increase in various states of India, Goa's Minister of Rural Development  Michael Lobo on Saturday spoke about the impact onion price and its poor impact on the tourism of Goa. In his statement, Lobo said: "The arrival of tourists in Goa is less than last year. When the tourists ask for onions in their food, they are being given cabbage instead."

He further suggested the citizens should start growing vegetables in their houses. Apart from that, people should also encourage their children to start growing vegetables, he said.
"Goa was once self-sufficient as far as growing vegetables were concerned. Today we are buying vegetables from Karnataka, Maharashtra and other states. So, we should grow our own vegetables," he said. The rise in onion prices has been hugely drawing public outrage and remains to be a crucial problem for the government. 

READ | Bihar: Criminal complaint against Minister Ram Vilas Paswan over onion price rise

Goa CM on onion prices

Chief Minister of Goa, Pramod Sawant on Friday stated that Goa's Susegado (laid-back) attitude has led landowners to give up on farming, causing the prices of onions to skyrocket. He said that the government is not responsible for soaring onion prices. Instead, people are responsible for being Susegado. Highlighting the importance of planting vegetables the CM said, that people have quit planting rice and vegetables. 

"Susegado" also spelt as Sucegado, is an Indo-Portuguese word that signifies a range of sentiments in Goa, including contentedness, relaxed, or a laid-back attitude towards life that is said to have existed historically in Goa.

READ | Goa's susegado attitude is the cause of skyrocketing onion prices: CM Pramod Sawant

Government on increasing onion prices

Prices of onion in many places have crossed Rs 100 per kg because of less production. Nirmala Sitharaman had said in the Lok Sabha that the government had taken several steps to check rising prices of onion and had also initiated steps to improve technology for better storage of the kitchen staple. Attributing shortage to low production, the minister had said there were severe "structural problems" related to onions.

The price of onion will come down by December end or by the first week of January, said Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister R P Swain. He said the onion is being procured from other states like Maharastra and Andhra Pradesh as the production of the vegetable bulb here is not adequate. The minister also claimed the government has opened 256 fair price shops to sell onion at affordable rates, the people from different parts of the state said the vegetable has not been available for the last two days.

READ | Punjab: Locals express distress on the soaring onion prices

READ | Centre to import over 17K MT onion from Turkey & Egypt to control price rise

(With inputs from ANI)