ARGENTINA
Tuesday, November 06, 2012, 03:30 (GMT + 9)
The head of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries (Minagri) of Argentina, Norberto Yauhar, is visiting the People's Republic of China so as to sign agreements with local companies that authorise the entry of some 10 Chinese squid jiggers to fish in Argentina.
He is accompanied by the Undersecretary of Fisheries and Aquaculture of the Nation, Miguel Bustamante, who in this regard pointed out: "Now we are seeing how Argentinean companies could partner with Chinese companies, establishing some kind of permission that is not definitive but transient, according to the capacity of the fishing grounds."
"We are discussing this issue with jigging business chambers and to that end, the ad doc commission was constituted. This will ensure, moreover, the presence at mile 201," he added.
It is expected that the Chinese and Argentinean firms "can partner legally and with permission giving due attention to the fishing ground status, and we do not in any way intend to harm domestic firms," continued the Undersecretary of Fisheries.
He also said that one of the issues to be analyzed is that related to the entrance tariffs to China, so that no Argentinean goods lose competitiveness.
"There are companies that are interested in modernizing their fleet and will have to agree with the Chinese company on how their ships can be updated and that firm being incorporated, even temporarily, can do so through new ships," said Bustamante in a statement to Revista Puerto.
"The best thing to do is to work in cooperation and they agree, favouring the requests that we have expressed: Argentinean crew members with Argentinean companies," the official added.
On the subject of transfers, he indicated that he will try to agree on them with the stowage of the various ports, and he will seek to agree on any improvement measures.
"But the transfer as well as the method will not be possible, he explained. If there is an exceptional situation, we will expressly and extraordinarily authorise it, but not as a methodology."
The undersecretary stressed that while with the 'chartering' system that existed in the country before the Argentinean companies rented Asian squid jiggers, now it is intended to settle "some kind of cooperation agreement and joint capture with mostly Argentinean crew members and with Argentinean companies."
Furthermore, he indicated that on the basis of the data from the fishery in recent years, there would have been some consensus that with up to 10 boats the fishing grounds would not be affected by a big impact.
"In short, it will be determined through the agreements they could sign because there will not be a resolution from the Board [Federal Fisheries] or a bilateral agreement establishing such entry without consensus," Revista Puerto stated.