India has deposited its Instrument of Acceptance for the World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies (AFS), becoming a party to the agreement. India is the 123rd member to deposit its acceptance for the same.
The AFS, adopted at the 12th WTO Ministerial Conference in Geneva in 2022, is the first multilateral WTO agreement with an environmental sustainability objective.
It prohibits government support for illegal fishing and overexploitation of stocks, contributing to the protection of marine life. It is to be noted that the agreement entered into force in September 2025, following acceptance by two-thirds of WTO members.