World Trade Agreements and Indian Fisheries Sector: Reflections and Upshots

Abstract

Seafood is high on the global trade agenda and has become particularly relevant in the light of the entry of fisheries into the WTO process (following WTO Doha Ministerial Conference in December 2002). International trading regimes are changing, with more open market access but with EU, US and other developed countries taking increasingly stringent measures for seafood safety. Changes in market access are likely to have significant implications for poor producers, and costs of implementation of international fisheries agreements, such as WTO sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) measures, HACCP standards, and market-driven labeling schemes may reduce livelihood options through barriers for participation of poor people. Liberalization of economies coupled with increasing demand for value added products and other product diversifications has resulted in structural changes of seafood industry in the last decade. Indian seafood exports declined to $1.89 billion from 2.10 billion dollars during 2007-08. The global financial meltdown seems to have taken its toll on the export of marine products from India with the business recording a 10 per cent slump to$1.9 billion for the year 2007-08. The country may even fall short of its target of $2 billion set for 2009, reports which was hit mainly due to economic recession in Europe and America, which are the major importers of marine products from India. The provisions under the various WTO agreements are expected to have an impact on the different dimensions on the Fisheries sector