Fishing ban lessons

Monday, 25 April 2016 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

No person, or in this case country, is an island. Sri Lanka, especially being an island, is intrinsically linked to the rest of the world and engaging proactively with it can have beneficial results for everyone.

This was proved when the Government won a fresh feather for its cap last week when the European Union announced it proposed to lift the ban on local fish exports.

With the country starved for foreign exchange and desperate for investment, the removal comes at a crucial moment for Sri Lanka. After nearly a year of ceaseless engagement with Europe it was a moment of true triumph. The Government, often accused of being fractured and sporadic in its policies, managed to steer the dialogue effectively and got key stakeholders including European Union (EU) members on board to lobby for its removal and will likely see through the technicalities in the next two months.

While companies are busy brushing up their export products, the Government is taking forward its next battle - GSP+. Already preparing the official application for the reinstatement of the preferential tax system, the Government can move on to the next stage on a high from the fishing reprieve. This same dedication to engagement can be used to resolve many other issues including the thorny standoff with the Indian fishermen.

Admittedly, that would be trickier as the Government would have to contend with Tamil Nadu, whose vociferous politicians have become less and less relevant as Colombo moves closer to New Delhi. Yet the issue remains, despite being pushed to the sidelines by the Northern Provincial Council as it takes on more nationalist issues, as it concerns some of the most marginalised communities in the north.

Sri Lanka was previously the second biggest exporter of fresh and chilled swordfish and tuna to the EU with exports worth EUR 74 million in 2013. According to the Fisheries Ministry, Sri Lanka’s total fish exports dropped by 34% last year compared to 2014, while the value dropped by 29%.

The country’s fish exports to the EU make up 68% of its total fish exports, which brings in $ 160 million annually. Sri Lanka is one of the biggest exporters to the EU of high value fishery products such as fresh and chilled swordfish, tuna and tuna-like species. The remaining 32% is sent to the US, Japan and other non-EU countries.

However, with the new Government taking control last year they took proactive measures to get the ban lifted as the country was incurring a huge loss of revenue from the imposed ban on fishery export to the EU.

The 2016 Budget proposed a deep sea fishing licensing scheme where one license holder will have to engage in collaboration with at least 100 people in the fishing community.

Dozens of companies are now readying to take back their market share and kickstart efforts to earn back their lost revenue. To govern a Government must engage. Hopefully policymakers will see the positives of engagement and do more to sound out their stakeholders in the future on issues beyond fishing.