Fishery fuel oil subsidy policy adjusted starting this year
To promote the sustainable and healthy development of the fishery industry, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Agriculture jointly issued a notice on the 9th, stating that with the approval of the State Council, starting from 2015, adjustments will be made to the fuel oil subsidy policy for domestic fishery capture and aquaculture.
It is understood that, as an important supporting policy and safeguard measure of the reform of the refined oil pricing mechanism, the fuel oil subsidy policy for domestic fishery capture and aquaculture has played an important role in promoting fishery development, increasing fishermen's income, and maintaining stability in fishing areas. However, in the implementation of the fishery fuel oil subsidy policy, problems exist such as distorted signals, reverse regulation, and lagging supervision, which urgently need adjustment.
According to the notice, this adjustment will follow the approach of not reducing the total amount, adjusting the existing stock, ensuring key priorities, and taking all factors into consideration, and will adjust the subsidy policy into a comprehensive support policy combining special transfer payments and general transfer payments. Taking the 2014 settlement figure as the base, 20% of the subsidy funds will be coordinated through special transfer payments for key work such as fishermen reducing vessels and switching to other industries and the renewal and transformation of fishing vessels; 80% will be allocated through general transfer payments, to be coordinated by local governments for specific use in fishery production cost subsidies, conversion to other industries and occupations, and other aspects.
The notice clarifies the goals and tasks of this adjustment: by adjusting and optimizing the subsidy method, central government fiscal subsidy funds will be completely decoupled from fuel oil consumption, and the fishery support and safeguard system will be improved, striving to reduce the fuel oil subsidy for the domestic capture fishery to 40% of the 2014 subsidy level by 2019, in about 5 years, further reducing the number and power of domestic capture fishing vessels, further optimizing the structure of capture operations, effectively controlling capture intensity, and taking new steps in fishery modernization.
The notice emphasizes that all localities should improve their understanding of the policy adjustment, fulfill their main responsibilities, implement a “governor responsibility system” for the implementation of the fishery fuel oil subsidy policy, formulate implementation plans, and improve supporting measures.