Valgerdur Sverrisdottir, foreign minister, addresses a conference, held at the University of Akureyri, on trade in marine produce
Foreign minister Mrs. Valgerdur Sverrisdottir, addressed a conference, at the University of Akureyri on the 1st and 2nd of February 2007, on trade in marine products and the main challenges and opportunities facing it.
There she spoke of the importance of fishing for Iceland and the contribution of the Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) towards developing international standards on self-sustaining fisheries as well as responsible fisheries. She also commented that the University of Akureyri satisfied all the requirements to become an international well of expertise in fish trading.
More cooperation needed
The conference, which more than 80 specialists and officials from various countries attended, sought to cover the extensive changes in the business environment the past years, especially with regard to trade in marine products. The value of this trade is now considered to be around $400 billion USD. Constantly new players rush on to the scene. China, in only a few years, has become the leading importer/exporter in marine products, as well as the main producers of farmed fish. Several new situations and problems have simultaneously arisen, especially in relation to fish farming and its effects on trade. Concerns about the quality of the product and environmental issues have also been raised. This situation demands cooperation between governments and the private sector, as well as transparent guidelines on the various factors of marine produce trading.
Topics of discussion
Trade in marine products is a subject FAO regularly covers, especially in the Committee on Fisheries (COFI) and its subcommittee on fishtrade. The representatives of FAO clarified the present status regarding trade, FAO’s involvement as a knowledge base in the discussion regarding government subsidies in the fishing industry and the current issues debated in the World Trade Organization (WTO) regarding fish.
The conference was a useful and enlightening input to the debate. It is clear that trade in marine products is rapidly growing parallel to its importance in regards to worldwide food security. Consequently, there is a need for a vigorous debate on the subject, incorporating various concerned parties. FAO has for a long period of time been the main think tank in the field and the Icelandic government believes the institution is the one most capable of handling debates on those aspects of the fishing industry that have a global dimension.
Einar K. Guðfinnsson, minister of fisheries, delivered the conference’s final address. In it he emphasized the importance of deregulating trade, which would benefit all, especially since trading in marine products was important for the growth of the economy.
On behalf of the foreign ministry attending the conference, besides the minister, were Gudni Bragason, Iceland’s permanent representative to FAO, WFP and IFAD, Benedikt Jonsson, ambassador, and Heidrun Palsdottir, first secretary.
