Fishing org: Diesel price hike crippling industry

A fishermen's organisation says the increase in diesel costs has been debilitating and crippling the fishing community.

In a release on Tuesday, the Independent Fishermen Union, an association of fisherfolk throughout TT, said it was seeking an urgent meeting with Agriculture Minister Clarence Rambharat.

The organisation said it wanted to discuss the impact of the increase in diesel prices on the fishing community and “explore proposals to mitigate against the adverse consequences.” The group reported that since the reading of the budget on October 2, and the immediate increase in the price of diesel (from $2.30 to $3.41 per litre) the fishing community had been struggling to make ends meet.

“The fuel increase was done without any consultation with the fishing community and that lack of consultation is painfully manifesting itself.”

The organisation said the fish stocks in local waters have been on the decline and the fishing community had been constantly in conflict with the stakeholders in the energy sector over seismic bombing.

“The challenges of the fishing community have been exacerbated now with this increase in the price of fuel.”

The group said the local fishing community will now find it exceedingly difficult to compete with imported fish as well as to compete successfully in exporting fish.

“As such the increase in fuel prices will result in the country losing more foreign exchange, becoming more dependent on imported food and job losses.”

Rambharat, in a telephone interview, said he was not familiar with the organisation and had not seen or heard anything from it, but when he receives correspondence from it he will look at it.