Roadside fish vendors make brisk business during lockdown in Margao

Margao: Even as SGPDA fish market is closed in Margao, one can get fish in the open spaces and near the roadsides. Vendors sell fish at higher rates and make brisk business.

Near Cine Lata Margao, fish is sold in vanto in the morning and also near the pickup stand in Margao. Again at Borda by the side of the road fish is sold while others do their business by keeping fish in the pickups.

These vendors are not traditional fish vendors but others who buy the fish from Benaulim and sell the same in Margao and close areas. Police have booked several such vendors selling fish in the open places last week.

One of the vendors who sell fish on cycle said that he gets up at 2 am and goes to Benaulim to buy fish. He said that the quality of fish is not up to mark but since his daily customers need fish he goes and purchases the fish in bulk.

He comes home by 4 am and later takes his cycle and goes to selling the small sized fish and returns home by 1 pm.

Due to coronavirus,  people have become health conscious and  prefer to buy local fish or local vegetables,  however local vegetables, fish and fruits  are zooming out of common man’s reach  due to its spiraling prices.

A housewife Deepa Usgaoker said that prices of local leafy vegetables have not only affected the middle class people but has disturbed the weekly budgets of the salaried class.

There is an abundance of varieties of local vegetables, leafy vegetables and fruits   in Margao particularly at Borda, however the prices of common vegetables have been rising steadily during the past one week.

Local tamdi bhaji, onion, green chilies, drum stick, raw banana, mulo, sweet potatoes , bhendi,  is available by the side of the road in good quantity  but the prices are very high.