Date: 2026-03-29Category: Press ReleaseState: Union GovernmentCountry: India
Challenge of overcapacity and overfishing arises from heavily subsidised industrial fleets, not from small-scale fishermen in India and other developing countries and LDCs: Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Shri Piyush Goyal at WTO Ministerial Conference
**Executive Summary**
At the WTO’s Fourteenth Ministerial Conference (MC14) held from March 26–29, 2026, in Yaoundé, Cameroon, India advocated for equitable fisheries subsidy rules in Phase II negotiations. Union Minister Piyush Goyal emphasized that global disciplines must target heavily subsidized industrial fleets rather than small-scale fishermen who ensure food security for 9 million Indian families. India’s key demands include a 25-year transition period for developing nations and a permanent carve-out for artisanal fishing.
**Key Points / Main Content**
**Core Negotiating Principles**
* Negotiations must align with Sustainable Development Goal 14.6 and the "Polluter Pays Principle."
* Rules should reflect equity through Special and Differential Treatment (S&DT) for developing countries and Least Developed Countries (LDCs).
* Adherence to the principle of Common but Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities (CBDR-RC) is essential.
**Proposed Disciplines and Carve-outs**
* India seeks a 25-year transition period for developing countries to adjust to new subsidy rules.
* Establishment of a permanent carve-out to protect small-scale and artisanal fishers from subsidy restrictions.
* Implementation of stronger disciplines specifically targeting distant-water industrial fishing fleets.
* Proposal to base subsidy disciplines on per capita intensity to broaden the scope of discussions.
**India’s Fisheries Profile and Sustainability**
* India’s fishing sector supports over 9 million families, primarily through sustainable, traditional, and artisanal methods.
* India maintains one of the lowest subsidy rates globally, providing approximately USD 15 per fisher family annually.
* The nation has a long-standing commitment to conservation, including the enforcement of an annual fishing ban.
**Impact Analysis**
**Developing Countries and LDCs**
**Impact**
These nations are recognized as vulnerable entities that require policy space to support their populations without being unfairly penalized for the actions of industrial fishing nations.
**Action Required**
Leverage the 25-year transition period and S&DT provisions to align national policies with emerging WTO fisheries disciplines.
**Small-scale and Artisanal Fishermen**
**Impact**
This group is identified as a priority for protection, as their livelihoods and food security roles are central to India’s negotiating stance.
**Action Required**
Maintain sustainable fishing practices and continue compliance with national conservation measures, such as annual fishing bans.
**Industrial Fishing Fleets**
**Impact**
Identified as the primary cause of overcapacity and overfishing, these fleets face the prospect of stricter global regulations and subsidy disciplines.
**Action Required**
Must prepare for increased international scrutiny and potential restrictions based on the Polluter Pays Principle and stronger distant-water disciplines.
Key Entities Referenced
WTO 14th Ministerial Conference (MC14): The international forum held in Yaoundé, Cameroon, where trade ministers negotiated the Ministerial Decision on Phase II of fisheries subsidies.
Shri Piyush Goyal: Union Minister for Commerce and Industry who led the Indian delegation and advocated for the interests of small-scale, traditional, and artisanal fishermen.
Sustainable Development Goal 14.6: The international framework guiding negotiations to prohibit certain forms of fisheries subsidies that contribute to overcapacity and overfishing.
Special and Differential Treatment (S&DT): A core principle advocated by India to ensure equity, providing transition periods and permanent carve-outs for developing and least developed countries.
Ministry of Commerce & Industry
Challenge of overcapacity and overfishing arises
from heavily subsidised industrial fleets, not from
small-scale fishermen in India and other
developing countries and LDCs: Union Minister
of Commerce and Industry Shri Piyush Goyal at
WTO Ministerial Conference
Shri Piyush Goyal highlights the role the fisheries sector plays
in securing India’s food security, ensuring livelihood and
supporting more than 9 million fisher families
Indian fishing comprises largely of small, traditional, and
artisanal fishermen practising sustainable methods: Shri
Piyush Goyal at WTO
Shri Goyal emphasises India’s proactive and historical
conservation efforts, including the annual fishing ban, says
India had long-standing commitment to sustainability well
before it became a global priority
Posted On: 29 MAR 2026 8:22PM by PIB Delhi
Fisheries Subsidies was one of the key agenda items discussed by Trade Ministers at the World Trade
Organization’s Fourteenth Ministerial Conference (MC14) held from March 26–29 in Yaoundé,
Cameroon. The Indian delegation, led by Union Minister for Commerce and Industry Shri Piyush Goyal,
actively contributed to shaping the Ministerial Decision that sets out the future course of Phase II
negotiations on fisheries subsidies relating to overcapacity and overfishing.
Keeping sustainability concerns at the forefront and in line with Sustainable Development Goal 14.6,
India emphasised that Phase II negotiations must reflect core principles of equity, including Special and
Differential Treatment (S&DT) for developing countries and Least Developed Countries, as well as the
principles of Common but Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities (CBDR-RC) and
the Polluter Pays Principle. Consistent with these principles, India highlighted key priorities such as a 25-
year transition period for developing countries, stronger disciplines on distant-water industrial fishing
fleets, a permanent carve-out for small-scale and artisanal fishers, and subsidy disciplines based on per
capita intensity, thereby broadening the scope of Phase II discussions.In the Ministerial discussions held on the issue, Shri Goyal emphasised that fisheries sector play a key role
in securing India’s food security and ensuring livelihood, supporting more than 9 million fisher families
largely comprising small, traditional, and artisanal fishermen practising sustainable methods. He also
highlighted that India is not a heavily industrialized fishing nation and do not have large-scale, distant-
water fleets or heavily mechanized operations. Further, India’s fisheries subsidies are among the lowest in
the world—barely about USD 15 per fisher family annually—compared to tens of thousands elsewhere.
Shri Goyal presented India’s balanced and people-centric approach to fisheries governance. Emphasising
on India’s proactive and historical conservation efforts, including the annual fishing ban, Shri Goyal
underlined India’s long-standing commitment to sustainability well before it became a global priority.
India also underscored that the challenge of overcapacity and overfishing arises from heavily subsidised
industrial fleets, and not from small-scale fishermen in India and other developing countries & LDCs.
Therefore, India made a strong case in the WTO forum for ensuring that emerging decisions remain fair
and do not disproportionately impact vulnerable communities.
In the negotiations on the MC-14 Ministerial Decision on Fisheries Subsidies, India engaged
constructively and based its negotiating stance on the principles of equity, sustainability, and common but
differentiated responsibilities. India also highlighted that further decisions must deliver an equitable and
development-oriented outcome that protects both marine resources and livelihoods.
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Abhishek Dayal/Garima Singh
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