Action Committee Against Unabated Taxation (ACAUT) through its media cell, has reacted to the ban imposed by the NSCN (I-M) on the sale of “inorganic, non-branded and loose unsealed mushrooms” in “Dimapur and other parts of Nagalim” as “an anti-Naga economic policy”.
ACAUT said in the first place, the NSCN (I-M) was not the competent authority to decide which product was hygienic and which was not.
It reiterated that only the directorate of health & family welfare with its trained professionals, was responsible on food safety matters, with Food Safety Officers (FSOs) under CMOs of all districts as implementing authorities.
Secondly, ACAUT said the NSCN (I-M) order, vindicated its stand that it was “ an admission of the syndicate system, patronised by the organisation”.
Thirdly, ACAUT termed as “ridiculous” that a product should be banned just because it was inorganic.
It pointed out that if the same criteria was applied, then “everyone would starve” as items such as tea and coffee would have to be banned including tomatoes, potatoes, vegetables and fruits.
Since cattle feeds were also inorganic, ACAUT asked should slaughter and sale of meat not also be banned?
Fourthly, it said “unorganised sector” existed where agri and allied products including “local mushrooms” can be marketed as “non-branded, loosely and unsealed.
ACAUT said the vast unorganised sector was the engine of India’s growth and that even “very industrialised countries” have both organised and unorganised sectors.
ACAUT said Nagaland was “downright unorganised” and therefore, it was an “unjustified demand” by NSCN (I-M) that farmers meet standards of industrialised organised sectors which required high capital investments and technical know-how”. It said the ban was “not only naïve but economy-killing.”
Fifthly, ACAUT said infringement of Food Safety Standard Authority of India (FSSAI) was determined by FSOs under CMOs of districts under standard but the NSCN (I-M) was not equipped “with labs or trained food safety inspectors” to determine toxicity of mushrooms.
It asked whether the “Hygienic Mushroom” of Bokajan, permitted for sale by the NSCN (I-M), was licensed and registered with FSSAI and what kind of scientific rigor and test was done by the NSCN (I-M), to determine that local mushrooms were unhygienic while “Hygienic Mushroom” from Bokajan was “hygienic and safe for consumption”? ACAUT said if “Hygienic Mushrooms” from Bokajan can be made hygienic just by branding it as such, then whether it had the license from the FSO under CMO, Medical department for sale in Nagaland? It also asked under what “expert authority” had the NSCN (I-M) claimed that loose mushrooms sold in open market contained high levels of “fungicides”, since “mushroom itself is a fungus?”
ACAUT also asked how could NSCN (I-M) hijack the economic interests of thousands of Naga farmers for the interests of a handful in neighbouring Bokajan, Assam?.Instead of helping the growth of Naga economy, it said NSCN (I-M) was “directly destroying the livelihood of Naga farmers and women vendors”.
ACAUT said any deviation from the core of Naga issue of economic self-reliance, was “anti-Naga” and that the NSCN (I-M) ban was “nothing but an anti-Naga economic policy”.
It reminded NSCN (I-M), that it would do well not to belittle itself in handling “petty things for petty gains” as it was a body representing Naga aspirations.
In the light of the above, ACAUT said the ban was only to promote the syndicate system and market monopoly and had “nothing to do with the concern for public health”.
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