Christopher Fonseca, the general secretary of the All India Trade Union Congress in Goa, talks about why Goa needs to diversify its economy beyond mining and tourism.
What lessons do you think Goa should learn from the mining ban?
Now we can’t take anything for granted. We should shore up our natural resources and see that every kilo of ore is correctly processed so there is no wastage. At the same time, we should diversify and go for alternate employment. All the brains in Goa need to put their heads together to find out what is possible. We are living on foreign remittances because many of the Goans are abroad. Our agriculture productivity is decreasing. Many of the farmlands and agricultural lands are being usurped by real estate. The number of animal herds is depleting. We are buying things from other states, including rice and vegetables. Our fish catches are depleting and not sufficient and it’s extremely costly for the people. So has Goa lagged behind in setting up good durable employment-generating industries. We need to see that we look after not only the present generation but the future generations to come.
What kind of industries do you think could be set up in Goa to diversify its economy?
The industries that could give massive employment should not usurp the resources of the state, like water and scarce resources. There could be food processing or a pharmaceutical hub, for example.
What about its tourism industry?
There are two industries in Goa that the economy stands on – one is tourism and the other was mining. It’s an industry where in fact much of the revenues go to the five-star hotels. The cream is taken by the luxury hotels and the leftovers are for the local people. That’s a serious matter. We believe there should be more social tourism, where the local people get involved and also earn good revenues. Our economy is linked up with the international market, so any disturbance anywhere can affect us.
business@thenational.ae
Follow us on Twitter @Ind_Insights
