LITHUANIA
A quarter century’s experience in ministries and the private sector stands Donatas Dudutis in good stead
A challenging portfolio of responsibilities As Vice-Minister responsible for fisheries in the Ministry of Agriculture, Mr Dudutis has plenty on his plate. The impact of the pandemic on the sector, the new operational programme for 2021–2027, the ban on cod fishing, and declining quotas for some pelagic species are just a few of the issues he must contend with. If that were not enough, he also needs to persuade the Lithuanian Parliament of the importance of maintaining the small-scale coastal and inland fishing sector, which is under threat from a proposal that could effectively forbid it. Last year marked the global spread of the coronavirus and unprecedented lockdowns around the world. Globally traded food commodities, such as fish and seafood, and their supply chains have been particularly affected. What impact has the pandemic had on the fishing and processing sector in Lithuania? Was a compensation scheme implemented for the sector and what were the measures it included? Yes, with the onset of the pandemic crisis the fishing, processing and aquaculture sectors reported a sharp drop in demand. Due to the closure of marketplaces, retail outlets and other distribution channels, prices and sales volumes decreased. Decisions on support for the sector were taken mid-2020 when the actual impact could only be estimated. We can now see statistics that show declines in all sub-sectors of the fisheries sector. Fishery: Long-distance fishing activities were not significantly affected by Covid-19, catches did not decrease, revenues were stable, and this segment of the sector was profitable in 2020. The sector reported that it had encountered logistical problems 24
(crew transportation, restrictions imposed by ports of landing, problems with product sales, etc.) but had adapted to the difficulties caused by the pandemic. Volumes of fish caught and sold by fishermen on the Baltic Sea coast in 2020 decreased by 23% compared to 2019, the lowest since 2011. In the open Baltic Sea fishery, the fall was 24%, the lowest since 2014. This segment has been severely affected by the ban on cod fishing and declining quotas for other commercial species. Over EUR100,000 was paid to 17 fishing companies in support. Applications are also being collected this year for the temporary cessation of fishing activities in 2020, which are still being assessed, but the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) regulation requires vessels to have fished for at least 120 days in the two years prior to the year of the application to qualify for support. This was unworkable for the vast majority of our fishing vessels. So, only about 15% of all fishing companies applied for and received support. Aquaculture: To find out the impact of the pandemic on aquaculture, we conducted a survey at the beginning of this year, interviewing all Lithuanian
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Donatas Dudutis, Vice-Minister, Ministry of Agriculture, Republic of Lithuania
aquaculture associations and a few individual companies. In 2020 a 10% decrease in the value of sales has been noticed, though the volume of production remained the same. The impact on aquaculture production sales depended on the sector segment – large pond and RAS aquaculture producers with long-term sales contracts with retailers had a secure market and sales volumes were not or only minimally affected by the pandemic restrictions. Companies with small ponds or RAS depend on consumers to buy
products directly from them, on markets or similar outlets, so they were severely affected by the lockdown. In all segments, there was a surplus of manufactured products. With declining demand for aquaculture products and strong supply, production prices fell. According to preliminary data, in 2020 compared to 2019, the average price of commercial aquaculture products for consumption decreased by about 8%. Support from the EMFF amounting to over EUR1m was paid to 37 aquaculture enterprises.
