Indian fishermen protest in Geneva against WTO ban on subsidies

- Indian fishermen need this subsidy for their survival

New delhi date. 14 June 2022, Tuesday

Some members of India's fishing community on Sunday opposed the World Trade Organization's (WTO) proposal to ban fishing subsidies because it did not meet the demands of developing countries.

Biman Jain of West Bengal said that if the subsidy to fishermen was stopped, their lives and livelihood would be cut off. It should not be against fishermen if subsidy discipline is needed it should be for industrial fishermen. This is our main demand.

Fishermen from across India gathered outside the United Nations office in Geneva to protest during the 12th World Trade Organization's ministerial meeting, which began on June 12. At the same time, he explained how the huge fishing giants of Europe and China are responsible for the depletion of marine resources.

Indian Fishermen A group of 34 fishermen from different states including Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal to protect the interests of the population. They arrived in Geneva to represent the protesters.

"I am a ninth generation fisherman and my family has been involved in fishing for centuries," said a fisherman from Maharashtra who participated in the exhibition. Fishing boats from developed countries like China and Europe catch thousands of tons of fish, deposit it in boats and take it away. Indian fishermen need this subsidy for their survival.

According to CMFRI Census 2016, the total population of marine fishermen is 3.77 million which includes 0.90 million households. They live in 3,202 fishing villages. About 67.3 per cent of the fishing families were in the BPL category. The average family size was 4.63 and the total sex ratio was 928 females per 1000 males.

India is in favor of supporting sustainable fisheries by controlling IUU fishing and exploring harmful subsidies.

Jyotibua, a fisherman from Maharashtra, said that the number of women in fishing is high in our country. If this subsidy is removed then women will be most affected. If the subsidy goes away, so will our 'family'.

"If this subsidy is removed, it is a matter of life and death for us," said a Gujarat fisherman. We consider the sea our father and we respect him just as much. We don't even go fishing on amas night. We cannot survive if this subsidy is taken away.