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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)

  • It was launched by Department of Fisheries, Union Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying in 2020.
  • Aim: To double the income of fish farmers and fishers in the country.
  • The PMMSY is an umbrella scheme with two separate Components namely:
    • Central Sector Scheme (CS) and
    • Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS).
  • The Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) Component is further segregated into non-beneficiary oriented and beneficiary orientated subcomponents/activities under the following three broad heads:
    • Enhancement of Production and Productivity
    • Infrastructure and Post-harvest Management
    • Fisheries Management and Regulatory Framework
  • The Government financial assistance will in turn be shared between Centre and State/UTs in the following ratio:
    • The North Eastern & the Himalayan States: 90% Central share and 10% State share.
    • Other States: 60% Central share and 40% State share.
    • Union Territories (with legislature and without legislature): 100% Central share (No UT Share).

Objectives:

  • To be enhance Fish Production from 13.75 million metric tons (2018-19) to 22 million metric tons by 2024-25.
  • To achieve sustained average annual growth of about 9% in fish production is.
  • To increase in the contribution of GVA of fisheries sector to the Agriculture GVA from 7.28% in 2018-19 to about 9% by 2024-25.
  • To Double export earnings from the present Rs.46,589 crores (2018-19) to about Rs.1,00,000 crores by 2024-25.
  • To enhance productivity in aquaculture from the present national average of 3 tons to about 5 tons per hectare.
  • To Reduce post-harvest losses from the reported 20-25% to about 10%.
  • Doubling of incomes of fishers and fish farmers.
  • To generate about 15 lakhs direct gainful employment opportunities and thrice the number as indirect employment opportunities along the supply and value chain.
  • To enhance the domestic fish consumption from about 5 kg to about 12 kg per capita.
  • To encourage private investment and facilitation of growth of entrepreneurship in the fisheries sector.

Fisheries and Aquaculture Infrastructure Development Fund (FIDF)

  • FIDF envisages creation of fisheries infrastructure facilities both in marine and inland fisheries sectors and augment the fish production.
  • Aim: To augment the country’s fish production to the level of about 20 million tonnes by 2022-23.
  • It comes under the aegis of the National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB), Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Government of India.

Objectives:

  • Creation and modernization of capture & culture fisheries infrastructure
  • Creation of Marine Aquaculture Infrastructure
  • Creation and modernization of Inland Fisheries Infrastructure
  • Reduce post-harvest losses and improve domestic marketing facilities through infrastructure support.
  • To bridge the resource gap and facilitate completion of ongoing infrastructure projects.

Kisan Credit Card (KCC) – Animal Husbandry and Fisheries:

  • Objective: To meet the short-term credit requirement of rearing of animals, Birds, and fisheries etc.
  • Eligibility:
    • Inland Fisheries and Aquaculture

§  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.

    • Marine Fisheries:

§  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.



POSTED ON 02-10-2022 BY ADMIN
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