India joins WTO’s agreement on fisheries subsidies
India deposited its Instrument of Acceptance of the WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies (AFS) on July 20, 2026, becoming a Party to the agreement. The pact, which entered into force on September 15, 2025, prohibits government subsidies for illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing and fishing of overfished stocks. It aims to promote sustainable fisheries and protect traditional small-scale fishers, particularly benefiting countries like India where fisheries are predominantly small-scale. The agreement excludes aquaculture and inland fisheries, which supports India's shrimp-based seafood export sector. Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal formally handed over the acceptance to WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala in Geneva. India's domestic fisheries management framework is aligned with the agreement, which was adopted at the 12th WTO Ministerial Conference in June 2022 and is the first multilateral WTO agreement with an environmental sustainability objective.
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