The Hindu Business Line : Chart of fish species on Asean FTA negative list released

Kochi, Oct. 25 A comprehensive chart of fish species listed under the Negative List of the India-Asean Free Trade Agreement with details such as photographs of fishes, harmonized code, species name, common trade and local names, description of the species and significance of inclusion under the Negative List has been brought out by Prof Ramachandran, School of Industrial Fisheries of Cochin University of Science and Technology, for the benefit of the fishermen and trade.

The chart was released by the Union Minister of State for Agriculture at a function held in Ernakulam.

According to Mr Ramachandran, FTA has given protection for the livelihood of the Indian fishermen and fish producers at the grass-root level by including almost all major fish and fish products in the Negative list.

The list also contains several dominant fishes not native to the Indian subcontinent as a measure to prevent such fishes and products from competing with Indian fishes in the local markets.

However, this negative list prevents the advantage of free trade to the exporters and traders who were now facing acute shortage of raw materials.

The Indian territorial waters are now over fished and by including all important fishes in the negative list (except squid and mussels and clams), the long-term benefit of reduced fishing effort in the territorial waters of the country and sustainability has been compromised.

Country like India cannot stand as a mere spectator when changes were happening in the socio-political and socio-economic scenario in the region, he said.

Free market

Indian exporters will get a wider tariff free market to create a single free-trade area for the region encompassing 500 million people.

In the long run, India being a leader in information technology, industrial and agricultural products including fish and fish products could capture dominant share of the Asean markets through free trade regime, he said.

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