India will not accept any multilateral curb on the activities of its nine million fisherman families, and may discuss the issue of overfishing at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) next month only if developed nations take responsibility for damaging the global fisheries wealth and agree to withdraw all subsidies on distant deep-water fishing for 25 years, three people aware of the matter said.
India’s point is that the challenge to sustainability has become an issue because of advanced fishing nations such as the European Union, the US and Japan have been giving huge subsidies to a comparatively small number of fishermen for years, However, for India fishing is an activity for subsistence for millions of poor, the people said.
The 13th ministerial conference (MC13) of WTO is scheduled to be held from February 26 to 29 in Abu Dhabi.
MC is the highest decision-making body of 164-member WTO.
“While developed countries give as high as $75,000 to one fisherman family, India gives barely $15 in a year to its fisher family unit,” one of the people said, asking not to be named.
“While it is a ‘trade and profit’ issue for them [the developed countries], for us it involves livelihood and nutrition,” he added
Besides agriculture subsidies, fisheries is an important area of interest for the group of developing countries led by India that insist on the principle of equity, he said.
“Developed nations exploited the nature [natural resources] in past and now they want poor nations to sacrifice for their sins! But, they can no longer bully us. They must pay for their sins on the principle of ‘common but differentiated responsibility’ and ‘polluter pays principle’ to achieve sustainability,” he added.
After having achieved a “Geneva Package”, which included an agreement on curbing harmful fishing subsidies, WTO members are currently negotiating matters related to overfishing and overcapacity of fish stocks, said a second person who works in the government.
“Our top priority will be to protect the interest of poor fishermen. Indian fishing sector is traditional and small-scale in nature with sustainability imbedded in activities,” he said, referring to the practice of observing voluntary restraint for two months in a year to allow fish to breed and grow.
On the fisheries front, India wants three things at the World Trade Organisation – allowing unhindered fishing in the exclusive economic zones (EEZs) or up to 200 nautical miles from the shore; a 25-year subsidy moratorium by advanced fishing nations to their fishermen fishing beyond EEZs; and developed nations must count hidden or non-specific grants like cheap fuel for the fishing vessels as subsidies.
The second official, who gave these details, said developing nations such as India need special and differential treatment (S&DT) to develop their fishing sector. At the conclusion of MC12 in Geneva in June 17, 2022, the multilateral body agreed on the first part of fisheries subsidies but the process to ratify it still under progress, the second person said.
Out of 164 members of WTO, 55 have so far ratified the agreement. India is yet to ratify the pact.