{"id":114599,"date":"2026-07-22T17:14:22","date_gmt":"2026-07-22T11:44:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=114599"},"modified":"2026-07-22T17:14:22","modified_gmt":"2026-07-22T11:44:22","slug":"india-joins-the-wto-agreement-on-fisheries-subsidies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/india-joins-the-wto-agreement-on-fisheries-subsidies\/","title":{"rendered":"India Joins the WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><b>India has deposited its Instrument of Acceptance of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies (AFS),<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> becoming the <\/span><b>123rd WTO member to join the pact<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. The move aims to curb harmful fishing subsidies, promote sustainable use of marine resources and protect the livelihoods of India\u2019s traditional and small-scale fishers.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>About WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/world-trade-organisation\/\" target=\"_blank\"><b>WTO<\/b><\/a><b> Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">was adopted by consensus at the <\/span><b>WTO\u2019s 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12) <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">in <\/span><b>Geneva<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in June <\/span><b>2022<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and entered into force on <\/span><b>15 September 2025 <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">after receiving acceptance from two-thirds of WTO members.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is the first multilateral WTO agreement that specifically focuses on environmental sustainability.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Its main objective is to stop government subsidies that encourage illegal fishing, overfishing and the excessive expansion of fishing fleets.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Key Provisions of WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><b>key provisions of WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies include:\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Agreement on fisheries subsidies prohibits subsidies that support Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It disciplines subsidies for fishing overfished stocks, subject to specified conditions.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It targets harmful subsidies that contribute to overcapacity and overfishing, particularly by large industrial and distant-water fishing fleets.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It applies to marine wild-capture fishing and fishing-related activities at sea.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Aquaculture and inland fisheries are excluded from the scope of the Agreement.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Agreement provides flexibilities for developing and least-developed countries while promoting sustainable fisheries management.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies Need\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The global fisheries sector faces growing pressure from overfishing, depletion of marine resources and the expansion of heavily subsidised industrial fishing fleets.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to WTO estimates, <\/span><b>around 37.7% of global marine fish stocks are currently overfished,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> compared with about 10% in 1974.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Large-scale government subsidies, estimated at nearly <\/span><b>USD 35 billion annually<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, have contributed to excessive fishing capacity and unsustainable exploitation of marine resources.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By disciplining harmful subsidies, the Agreement seeks to create a more equitable global fisheries regime and promote the conservation and sustainable use of marine resources.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Significance for India<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Agreement is important for India because its fisheries sector is largely based on traditional and small-scale fishing rather than heavily subsidised industrial fishing.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It can help protect the livelihoods, employment and food security of India\u2019s traditional and small-scale fishing communities.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It can reduce the unfair advantage enjoyed by large industrial fleets that receive substantial government support.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It promotes the conservation and sustainable use of India\u2019s marine fisheries resources.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It can improve India\u2019s credibility in global seafood markets where sustainability and traceability are becoming increasingly important.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It strengthens India\u2019s commitment to the rules-based multilateral trading system.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A major advantage for India is that aquaculture is outside the scope of the Agreement. India is a major producer and exporter of aquaculture-based shrimp. Since such activities are not covered by the Agreement, India\u2019s shrimp export sector will not face direct restrictions under the AFS.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Thus, India can support sustainable marine fishing while continuing to maintain the competitiveness of its important aquaculture-based seafood export sector.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>India\u2019s Domestic Preparedness<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India already has several measures that support the objectives of the Agreement.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><b>Sustainable Harnessing of Fisheries in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) Rules, 2025 <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">provide a framework for the sustainable management of fisheries resources within India\u2019s maritime zones.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><b>Guidelines for Sustainable Harnessing of Fisheries in the High Seas<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> by Indian-Flagged Fishing Vessels, 2025 promote responsible fishing practices by Indian vessels operating in international waters.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/pm-matsya-sampada-yojana\/\" target=\"_blank\"><b>Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY)<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> supports fisheries infrastructure, sustainable development, livelihood improvement and capacity building.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These measures provide a foundation for India to implement its international commitments while protecting the interests of fishing communities.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Challenges for India<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India must ensure that the implementation of sustainability rules does not impose excessive financial and regulatory burdens on small-scale fishers.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India needs better scientific assessment of fish stocks to determine the actual health of marine fisheries.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Stronger monitoring and traceability systems are required to prevent IUU fishing.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Greater coordination is needed between the Central Government, coastal States, fishing communities and fisheries institutions.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India must continue to protect the policy space and special flexibilities available to developing countries in future WTO negotiations.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Way Forward<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India should combine sustainable fisheries management with targeted support for small-scale fishers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This requires better scientific data, digital monitoring of fishing activities, improved traceability, modern infrastructure, access to insurance and technology, and alternative livelihood opportunities for vulnerable fishing communities.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At the international level, India should continue to advocate a fair fisheries regime in which the major responsibility for reducing harmful subsidies is placed on countries with large industrial and distant-water fishing fleets.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>India joins the WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies to promote sustainable fishing, curb harmful subsidies, protect marine resources, and support small-scale fishers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":114569,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[786],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-114599","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-general-studies","no-featured-image-padding"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/114599","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=114599"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/114599\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":114602,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/114599\/revisions\/114602"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/114569"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=114599"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=114599"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=114599"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}