Fri, Mar 01, 2024
(Excerpts of the Leader of the Opposition, Honourable Dr Godwin Friday’s response to Budget 2024)
“For too long, the government has paid lip service to the blue economy and they continue to do it. For over 15 years, they say they have been providing money for fleet expansion and upgrading and they are still at the verge of the blue economy taking off. How much hope must you have before you can say, well, listen, this is not working.
No fleet expansion has taken place and fish export comprise less than a quarter of 1% of GDP. We have tremendous potential, but we are simply not exploiting it. To say that you have a program in place for 15 years, and you have nothing to show, it tells me that you are not serious. There are so many promises and so many things that are put out there, and it seems they are just repeated and repeated because nobody could be bothered to remove them, if they are not being implemented.
There’s too much potential here in our fishing industry to be able to just let it go. The Minister in his presentation said that there was going to be a Solidarity Fishing Fleet. This was in the 2023 budget. They had four $4.4 million to spend in 2023. None of it was spent. I don’t know why, but none of it was spent. This is to be spent on these so-called Solidarity Fishing Fleet, which was done with the Alba Bank. That $4.4 million is back in the 2024 budget. How will the money be used now? What is different in this year from last year’s to say that the money would be spent and how it will be spent?
The Minister in his remarks on page11 speaks about fleet expansion. Madam Speaker, this is what he says, ‘So while our talented fishers do not need to be taught to fish, they do need greater experience operating larger modern commercial fishing vessels, recognizing this need and hoping to move more fishers from near-shore subsistence fishing to more commercially viable production. We have collaborated with the Alba Bank to introduce the Solidarity Fleet Enhancement program. The Solidarity Fishing Fleet Project will spend $4.4 million this year to purchase the equipment and equip for modern tuna boats in the first instance, and to train fishers in the operation of those vessels and the business of commercial fishing. On completion of their training, we will assist fishers with demonstrated interest and aptitude to operate their own commercial tuna boats.’
It seems like such a casual comment, to operate their own tuna boats. Where are they going to get the tuna boats from? The problem Madam Speaker, is that the Solidarity Fishing Fleet program of 4.4 million dollars, sounds like the government is going to buy its own boats and is going to operate them. So, the government is going to be the cutting edge of the fishing industry.
Then the fisherfolk who are supposedly to be benefiting from the program, they are going out and being trained. Then you can go and operate your own tuna boat. Do you know how much it costs to operate a tuna boat? I have a friend who is doing that business. It is not an easy thing. Why did you put in there so casually? As if people could just go and get a tuna boat. Where is the funding coming from to do it?
The government has put $500,000 in the estimates to say that they will use that for down payments for loans that fisherfolk are supposed to get, and that will unleash another $2.5 million. How is it going to unleash it? This is money that is going to the bank and to be borrowed. How is that program working? I hope the Minister will say something about it because from the reports that I have heard, I mean, for 15 years, they have been doing it and nothing is happening.
There is so much potential in the fishing industry. The $500,000 to help fisherfolk to be able to get in a position to move from the subsistence fishing that you speak about to a more commercially viable fishing; that is a pittance and that is telling me that you are not serious in assisting the fisherfolk and no wonder all the years nothing has happened. The bottleneck in this system clearly is the lack of capital.
That is where you need to focus the attention of government to providing that assistance, so you could unlock it. Telling people the government will make the down payment; then you have to go and borrow from GECCU. GECCU now has to check all of your references and see if you are qualified. It obviously isn’t working. So it’s a cynical trick, Madam Speaker, to play on fishers. I want to hear what the Minister of Fisheries is going to say about it, because quite frankly, it makes him looks bad because he is in charge of this program and he needs to make sure that he has a way to say, listen, this is real.”
The way Forward
The NDP’s plan to build the blue economy as a pillar of the economy includes the following:
* Create a new Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Conservation
* Develop the fishing industry to benefit fisherfolk
* Upgrade fisheries centres
* Invest in new equipment for fisherfolk
* Introduce a credit system for fisherfolk
* Help seafarers obtain certificates for jobs on ships
* Improve safety at sea using satellite technology;
* Review marine resource management to ensure sustainability
* Improve ship registry to generate more revenue and jobs
* Redevelop the Ottley Hall Marina and Shipyard to create good-paying
The NDP is committed to developing the blue economy. Growing the blue economy will strengthen the country’s economy and create more and better-paid jobs.