Fiji deposited its instrument of acceptance of the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies on 24 October. Ambassador Luke Daunivalu presented Fiji’s instrument of acceptance to Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. DG Okonjo-Iweala said: “We are absolutely delighted that Fiji has presented its acceptance of the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies. It is the first Pacific Island developing nation to do so, and we are confident it will not be the last. We hope this action will encourage not only Pacific but also all other members that have not yet decided to do so. We are delighted that Fiji took this important step during our Senior Officials Meeting.”

Ambassador Daunivalu said: “We are so pleased that Fiji can finally deposit its instrument of acceptance of the WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies. It's a testament to our commitment to disciplining subsidies for illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. It's also a fulfilment of the promise made by our Deputy Prime Minister Manoa Seru Kamikamica when he was here some months ago during Fiji's fourth Trade Policy Review. Hopefully this paves the way for other members who have yet to ratify to do so, not just from the Pacific but from other parts of the world.”

Fiji's instrument of acceptance brings the total number of WTO members that have formally accepted the Agreement to 52. This is nearly half of what is needed for the Agreement to come into effect (two-thirds of the WTO membership). Adopted by consensus at the WTO's 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12), held in Geneva on 12-17 June 2022, the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies sets new, binding, multilateral rules to curb harmful subsidies, which are a key factor in the widespread depletion of the world's fish stocks. In addition, the Agreement recognizes the needs of developing and least-developed countries and establishes a fund to provide technical assistance and capacity building to help them implement the obligations.

The Agreement prohibits support for illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, bans support for fishing overfished stocks and ends subsidies for fishing on the unregulated high seas. Members also agreed at MC12 to continue negotiations on outstanding issues, with a view to making recommendations by MC13, to be held in February 2024 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, for additional provisions that would further enhance the disciplines of the Agreement.

Source:https://www.wto.org/english/news_e/news23_e/fish_24oct23_e.htm, 24 October 2023. 

Maldives has participated in the regional workshop on aquatic animal health organized by Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) held in Muscat, Oman from 22 - 26 October 2023. The workshop discussed aquatic animal health management, capacity building, disease diagnosis and treatment of cultured aquatic species in the member countries.

Source: Maldives Marine Research Institute, 26 October 2023.

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. stressed on the immediate need to modernise the agriculture and fisheries sector, as part of the efforts to make the Philippines a “food-and nutrition-secure” nation. Marcos made the remark during the celebration of the 70^th founding anniversary of the Federation of Free Farmers (FFF) at the Salvador Escudero Hall of the National Meat Inspection Service on Visayas Avenue, Quezon City.

“This administration is steering the growth of our fisheries and farming industries with urgency,” he said, noting that the Department of Agriculture (DA) has allocated Philippines Peso, PHP 4.73 billion (USD 83 million) as an investment for the large-scale agriculture and fishery mechanisation and modernisation. Marcos, who also leads the DA, expressed optimism about realising his bid to modernize the agri-fisheries industry, given the allocation of PHP85.88 billion (USD 15.08 billion) for the sector in 2023 and the proposed allotment of PHP92.4 billion (USD 16.23 billion) in 2024.

He said his administration is striving to implement efficient mechanisation strategies to reduce post-harvest losses and ensure the optimal yield at an affordable cost and the government is also doing its best to increase the exportation of the country’s agricultural products, acknowledging that the move is “an essential driver in the competitiveness of our economy.”

“In line with that collective mission, I wish to reaffirm one of the top priorities of this administration, which is the enhancement of our agricultural productivity, the guarantee of our food supply, the affordability of our food supply, and our lessening dependence on importation,” Marcos said. “This includes pursuing policies that will support and protect the overall welfare of our farmers, our fishers, our manufacturers, and the consuming public,” he added.

Marcos also hoped for a closer collaboration with the FFF, as he recognised its long-standing cooperation and partnership with the government in sustaining development in the areas of agri-fisheries, agrarian reform, and agricultural cooperatives. He assured the organisation that the government is pursuing the strengthening of various agricultural associations and cooperatives, to provide beneficiaries with business and investment opportunities. “This will definitely elevate the standard of living, improve the lives of the farmers and our fishers and that of their families,” Marcos said.

“You have solidified your presence over the past seven decades, and I eagerly anticipate an even deeper collaboration, given our shared commitment. I thus enjoin all the men and women of FFF to continuously take part in supporting and empowering our farmers and fisherfolk.” Since its inception in 1953, the FFF has been at the forefront of the struggle to liberate Filipino farmers from social, political, economic, moral, and cultural oppression. To date, the FFF enjoys a mass base of about 200,000 farmers and fisherfolk and remains one of the largest and most reputable organizations of farmers in the country.

Source: https://www.pna.gov.ph/, 25 October 2023.