Indian fishing community protests in Geneva against WTO's plan to curb fishery subsidies

On Sunday, fishermen from different Indian coastal districts protested against the World Trade Organization (WTO)'s plan to reduce fishery subsidies, claiming that it did not respond to the requests of developing countries. Members of the Indian fishing community gathered outside the United Nations Office in Geneva and protested during the 12th WTO ministerial meeting, which commenced on June 12, and described how major fishing giants from Europe and China are responsible for the loss of marine resources. 

A group of 34 Indian fishermen had arrived in Geneva to safeguard the interests of the Indian fisher community, which includes 5 fishermen from Gujarat, 6 from Maharashtra, 1 from Goa, 2 from Karnataka, 6 from Kerala, 5 from Tamil Nadu, 4 from Andhra Pradesh, and 5 from West Bengal. 

'If subsidy stops for traditional fishermen, their lives and livelihood will be stopped'

According to an ANI report, Biman Jana, from West Bengal noted, “If subsidy stops for traditional fishermen, their lives and livelihood will be stopped. So, this should not be against the traditional fishermen, if the subsidy discipline is required it should be for industrial fishermen. This is our main demand".  

While having provisions that might assist industrialised nations to maintain their large subsidy for long-distance fishing, the proposal does not fully address concerns about food security and the livelihood of small fishermen. 

In addition to this, a Maharashtrian fisherman said while protesting, “I am a ninth-generation fisherman and my family has been involved in fishing for ages. The fishing boats from developed nations like China and Europe catch thousands of tonnes of fish, freeze them on the boat and they take it away," ANI reported.  

As per the report from ANI, the plan favours developed fishing nations, allowing them to keep their high-sea fishing subsidies. Developing nations, on the other hand, are denied proper carve-outs, which might jeopardise livelihood and food security. 

Indian fishing community

The survival of Indian fishermen depends on this subsidy, as per the ANI report. India has an 8,118-kilometer coastline and a 2.08-million-square-kilometre Exclusive Economic Zone. Furthermore, while residing in 3,202 fishing villages, the total marine fisher community population is 3.77 million, comprising 0.90 million households, as per the CMFRI Census 2016.  

Apart from this, almost 67.3% of the fishermen's families were considered BPL. The average household size was 4.63, and there were 928 females for every 1000 men. 

India also supports the elimination of IUU (illegal, unreported, and unregulated) fishing and the promotion of sustainable fishing by limiting detrimental subsidies. 

Traditional fisheries feature fishing households rather than commercial organisations, employing a limited amount of cash and energy, small fishing vessels (typically 20 metres in total length), and short fishing excursions near shore. Small-scale fishing is another name for it. 

Even though there is no industrial fishing in India, the small-scale marine fisheries offer food security to millions of people. 

(Image: ANI)