BICHOLIM: Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Tuesday said that the Department of Legal Metrology had already started cracking down on cashew nuts from outside Goa, especially Africa which are being sold as Goa cashew nuts.
Speaking at the Goa State Consumer Rights Day programme at Sankhali, Sawant warned that cashew nuts from other States and mostly from Africa are now being imported and sold in Goa. Stating that Goa cashew nuts have unique taste, many shops in the State are selling cashew nuts imported from outside Goa. Consumers cannot be fooled or taken for a ride, he said, adding that the government had started checking these shops and creating awareness among the people as part of consumer awareness programme.
The Chief Minister also praised a woman entrepreneur from Parra, Bardez, who makes ladoos out of millets and dates, without sugar or jaggery. Sawant said that he presented these 10 boxes of these ladoos to Union Ministers during his two-day visit in Delhi. He said that the woman started a self-help group (SHG) two years ago and had now had an annual turnover of Rs 10 lakh.
Goan women entrepreneurs and self-help groups (SHGs) are thriving and have the potential to majorly contribute to economic growth of the State, and their aesthetic branding ideas are offering a boost to their products, he added.
On the occasion, the Chief Minister inaugurated the Packers Registration-cum-FSSAI India Licence Camp for SHGs under the flagship programme of Swayampurna Goa 2.0.
He also distributed the FSSAI certificates to 10 packers and unveiled the new logo of the Department of Legal Metrology, Citizen Charter and Goa Gram Magazine.
The Swayampurna Goa 2.0 has given platform to SHGs in the State with e-Bazaar, and other online portals. The State government is committed to extend all the support to SHGs for the development and the vision of Swayampurna Goa, he said.