Bienesca 2022: new operation of the fishing subsidy

For the third consecutive year, Bienesca is the only fishing subsidy announced at the federal level. Compared to the previous two years, the Bienesca Rules of Operation (ROP) for 2022 open up the possibility of increasing support amounts depending on the entity. They also include more information on the operation of the program and on the criteria and prioritization for selecting beneficiaries. ¹

Despite these changes, effective accountability will be essential to ensure that in 2022 support is directed to the fishing sector and especially to the communities that most require it.

Higher amount per beneficiary?

So far, the approved federal budget is 1.425 million pesos, which will be granted to about 198,000 beneficiaries. Unlike previous years, the 2022 ROPs open up the possibility for state governments to participate in the implementation of the program. In this way, the amount per beneficiary could be increased by an additional 50%. In other words, the federal amount of 7,200 may be increased to 10,800 pesos subject to budgetary availability and terms agreed with the state government.

Greater transparency in standards?

One of the biggest criticisms of Bienesca has been the opacity of the Fishery and Aquaculture Producers Register. Although it has been a requirement to be registered in this register since 2020, the most significant change is that now the registration will be made by fishermen and aquaculture farmers via the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Information System (SNIPA). In previous years, it was the staff of Conapesca or the Ministry of Welfare who generated the files through field visits. With this change, everyone who wants to access the subsidy will be able to register online. Subsequently, Conapesca will validate the information to prioritize and select the final beneficiaries.

The information requested for such registration is stipulated in the certificate included in annex 25 of the ROP. This considers not only data about the fisherman or aquaculturist, but also data about belonging to an economic unit, that is, information about the company, cooperative or fishing organization in which the applicant participates. With this change in the dynamics of operation, it will be possible to link the beneficiaries with the fisheries information.

On the other hand, it is established that there will be a prioritization of the beneficiaries, favoring:

“Indigenous and/or Afro-descendant groups or communities, women and people with disabilities who are engaged in fishing or aquaculture activities or who live in areas of high and very high marginalization”. ²

Since the registration certificate includes information about membership in an indigenous community, municipality and gender, it can be verified that these criteria are met. However, information about any disability is not requested from the applicant, so this point cannot be verified.

It is important to mention that so far the publication of the 2021 register of beneficiaries is still pending, as well as the Register of Producers that was used in 2020 and 2021. In addition, with the information available in the 2020 census, it cannot be verified that the beneficiaries belong to the fishing sector or that they live in a municipality with priority attention. To learn more, visit the Pescando Datos - Bienesca 2020 analysis. ³