VASCO
The Goenchea Raponkarancho Ekvott (GRE) wrote to Fisheries Minister Nilkanth Halarnkar on Saturday to urge Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal and Fisheries Minister Parshottam Rupala to vigorously negotiate fisheries subsidies at the 13th Ministerial Conference of the WTO (MC13) in Abu Dhabi.
GRE's General Secretary, Olencio Simoes, stated that members of the National Fishworkers Forum (NFF) will attend and participate in the MC13. Simoes emphasized the need for India to advocate strongly for small-scale and indigenous Indian fishers, as India ranks 3rd in global fish production at around 10.8 million tonnes. He highlighted that 61% of India's 100 million fishermen still live below the poverty line (BPL), making it crucial to articulate a robust case for their specific needs in international negotiations.
GRE and NFF urged the union government to champion the cause of its small-scale fishers by securing a special exemption that extends beyond the proposed limit of 12 Nautical Miles (NTM). They stressed that small fishers often operate beyond these proposed limits, up to 24-200 Nautical Miles (NTM), due to the semi-formal nature of their work and the limitation of advanced navigation equipment.
GRE demanded emphasis on the need for a robust domestic fisheries policy aligned with international negotiations. They argued that without a cohesive national policy defining small-scale, artisanal, and indigenous fishworker rights, India's position at the WTO may lack the necessary foundation for effective representation. They advocated for a policy similar to the ‘Coastal Rights Bill’, which not only protects the government's goals in sustainability but also addresses the specific needs of small-scale fisheries (SSF) in India.
GRE President Angelo Rodrigues warned that if the Indian government fails to negotiate on fisheries subsidies at MC13 in Abu Dhabi, fishermen may face a fate similar to that of farmers in the country, where more than 30 farmers die per day.
