Kerala - Kochi   

Indo-EU pact a threat to fishing sector

KOCHI: The duty-free import of 40 varieties of fishes from the European Union countries as part of the proposed Indo-EU bilateral free trade agreement (FTA) will do incalculable damage to Kerala’s fishing sector, says Kerala Matsaythozhilali Aikya Vedi president Charles George.

Mr. George, who attended a stakeholders’ meeting held in Chennai on Wednesday to discuss the agreement, urged the State Government to immediately intervene to stall the free import clause before the FTA is signed.

The stakeholders’ meeting was called by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the Union Commerce Ministry.

Mr. George told TheHindu that most of the nearly 60 persons who had attended the meeting represented the interests of exporters and importers and hence their views had prevailed.

He was the only representative of the huge fishing community in the country.

He said apart from the fishing sector, the FTA would badly hit the rubber sector as well as the FACT because of the provision of liberal import of phosphate-based fertilizers and rubber products.

He noted that 40 fish items — such as sardine, mackerel, anchovy, cod, sole, skid-jack tuna and yellow-fin tuna —could be imported liberally if the FTA is signed. These fishes, which have been categorised as ‘less-sensitive,’ are in the fourth annexure of the FTA.

Mr. George pointed out that the other FTAs such as the one with Sri Lanka, the South Asian Free Trade Agreement and the India-Thailand framework agreement had badly hurt the interests of the fish workers as well as farmers in Kerala. The highly powerful 27-nation European Union, whose members heavily subsidise their respective fishing industries, would be by far the biggest threat to Kerala’s fish workers.

Mr. George wanted the State Government to press the Centre to put fish on the ‘sensitive’ list in the FTA.

The Indo-EU pact is expected to be inked by the end of next year. The EU is currently India’s largest trading partner and the agreement is expected to give a boost to exchange of goods, services and investments.

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