On Friday 28th October 2019, I attended a briefing session by NFA(PSID) on the above.
Summary of the update:
• Fisheries Minister had recently signed off in Samoa (October 2019) an MoU for Cooperating Agreement and the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) on Fisheries Charter(?)
• NFA is heading a Trade Access Mission this week (28 Oct-2nd Nov) coinciding a seafood exposition to finalize the trade protocols.
• 6x NFA officers & 3x industry representatives’ part of delegation. Industry representatives are from Coco Enterprise & United Seafood Ltd who are attending expo.
• Industry representatives attending will undertake a simulation of costing of exporting to benchmark for the China market arrangement
• There is in place List of signed productt types and tariff headings
Comments I made at the meeting;
• acknowledge the progress made to date
• need for development of SME Export & Investment Strategy for the sector to guide this pursuit under a fisheries development master plan
• Need for Harvest Strategies guide to be in place for all export/commercialized fisheries so there are readily available instructions on resource limits to guide trade and development arrangements for sustainable fisheries management and development
• Need to annex the List of signed product types and tariff headings to the Fish & Fishery Products-Food Safety and Trade Requirements
FIA will maintain follow-up on outcome this Trade Access Mission.