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Blocking Subsidy To India's Fishermen To Affect Millions Of Fishers, Their Families
- Several forums have expressed grave concern over the presence of 1,000 Chinese trawlers in the Arabian Sea, each capable of hauling in more than 500 metric tons of fish.
- Some of these forums include All Kerala Fishing Boats Operators Association and the All-India Purse Seine Association.
Status of Fishing Industry in India
- According to CMFRI (Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute) Census 2016, the total marine fisherfolk population is 3.77 million comprising 0.90 million families, in 3,202 fishing villages in India.
- 67.3% of such families were under BPL (Below Poverty Line) category.
- Indian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) hosts a potential marine fishery resource of about 3.921 million tonnes.
- 63% of traditional fishers have always been governed by their traditional value systems, practising only subsistence fishing through the ages.
- The fisheries potential is about 4.4 million tonne and the marine capture production in 2019 was 3.8 million tonnes.
Concerns of Fisher Folk
- Only about $300 million per year is offered to the Indian small fishers in comparison to the massive subsidies of $7.3 billion by China, $3.8 billion by the EU and $3.4 billion by the US.
- Low capacity of the Indian boats that could haul just 10 tonnes of fish per trip.
- Chinese boats in Indian Arabian Sea are extracting petroleum hydrate resources from the sea bottom, which could contain reserves that last more than 300 years.
- Traditional fisheries involve fishing households uses a relatively small amounts of capital.
- Fishing activity in EEZ (Exclusive economic zone) is restricted in a zone of 0-80 m depth.
- Near shore water fishery has reached optimum yield levels.
- Only 37% (59,000) of the Indian fishing vessels are mechanised and the rest are non-motorised fishing crafts.
- The latter category comprises traditional catamarans, dhonis, machwas, masula boats, dugout canoes and plank-built boats.
Schemes launched in fisheries sector by Government of India Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY)
Objectives:
Fisheries and Aquaculture Infrastructure Development Fund (FIDF)
Objectives:
Kisan Credit Card (KCC) – Animal Husbandry and Fisheries:
§ Fishers, Fish Farmers (individual & groups/ partners/ share croppers/ tenant farmers), Self Help Groups, Joint Liability Groups and women groups. § The beneficiaries must have owned or should be a lessee any of the fisheries related activities § Possess necessary license for fish farming and fishing related activities, and any other State specific fisheries and allied activities.
§ Beneficiaries listed at above, who own or lease registered fishing vessel/boat. § Possess necessary fishing license/permission for fishing in estuary and sea, fish farming/marine culture activities in estuaries and open sea and any other State specific fisheries and allied activities. § Extended KCC facilities to Animal husbandry and fisheries farmers with benefit of interest subvention (2%) to bank and prompt repayment incentives (3%) to such of the farmers to meet their working capital needs under Kisan Credit Card scheme. |
12th ministerial conference-WTO
- At the 12th Ministerial Conference, held in June 2022 in Geneva, WTO members signed Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies.
- It prohibits harmful fisheries subsidies on overfishing, deep sea fishing, and illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
- It sets new rules to protect global fish stocks in a manner that also recognizes the needs of fishers in developing and least-developed countries (LDCs).
India’s concern
- India and the developing world need a 15-year transition period for phasing out subsidies.
- But the draft required all developing countries withdraw subsidies that contributed to overfishing and overcapacity within 7 years of the agreement coming into force or 2030, whichever is earlier.
- Indian demand for curbs on non-specific fuel subsidies given by developed countries with industrial fleets had been completely ignored.
- These subsidies amount to as much as 22% of the total fisheries subsidies.
- India proposed that assistance on construction, acquisition, vessels up-gradation etc. need to be given for the traditional low-income fishers’ transition to a secure livelihood in a 25-year window.
- However, this provision was removed from the final agreement and will now need to be renegotiated again within four years.
- India’s Stance: The MC11 (11th Ministerial Conference) decision on fisheries subsidies clearly mandates that there should be an appropriate and effective special and differential treatment for developing countries.
Indian fishery subsidies are a real-time assistance to fishers to engage in livelihood fishing for food for family. Stopping this assistance could push millions of families into absolute poverty.