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India Joins WTO Fisheries Subsidies Agreement

  • 21 Jul 2026

On 20th July 2026, India deposited its Instrument of Acceptance of the WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies (AFS) thereby becoming a Party to the Agreement.

Key Points

  • Formal Acceptance: India became the 123rd WTO member to accept the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies by depositing its Instrument of Acceptance with the WTO.
  • About the Agreement: Adopted at the 12th WTO Ministerial Conference (MC12) in Geneva (2022), it is the first WTO agreement with an environmental sustainability objective.
  • Objective: The Agreement disciplines subsidies that contribute to illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing and the fishing of overexploited fish stocks.
  • Scope: It applies only to marine wild capture fisheries and fishing-related activities at sea, while aquaculture and inland fisheries are excluded.
  • Benefit for India: Since India's seafood exports are largely based on aquaculture shrimp, the Agreement is not expected to affect export competitiveness.
  • Support for Small Fishers: The Agreement discourages harmful subsidies to large industrial fishing fleets, helping protect the livelihoods of traditional and small-scale fishers.