Government Advocates for Enhanced Value Addition and Expansion into New Markets to Bolster India's USD 7.38 Billion Seafood Export Industry by 2025
The Department of Fisheries, under the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying, hosted the Seafood Exporters Meet 2025 at Ambedkar Bhawan, New Delhi, on Monday. The meeting was led by Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh, along with Ministers of State Prof. S.P. Singh Baghel and George Kurian.
The gathering brought together key government bodies, industry representatives, and progressive farmers to discuss strategies for strengthening India's seafood exports. Prof. S.P. Singh Baghel emphasized the vast fisheries resources in India and called for greater collaboration among stakeholders and state governments.
The government is actively addressing challenges in the seafood export sector, including tariff and non-tariff barriers. One significant issue is the high US tariffs on Indian seafood, which threaten export competitiveness, especially in the shrimp segment where India is a top supplier.
To combat these barriers, the government is pursuing initiatives to strengthen seafood exports. These include emphasizing value addition, aiming to increase the share of value-added products from about 10% currently to between 30% and 60%. This would improve export revenues and reduce dependence on low-margin products like frozen shrimp.
Another initiative is the development of a single-window system to improve market linkages and streamline export-related processes. The government is also expanding fishing activities in high seas and Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) areas to increase sustainable harvests and diversify species available for export.
Strengthening infrastructure for fisheries development is another essential aspect of these efforts. This support will help ensure higher quality and capacity for exports. The government is also conducting state-wise species-specific export mapping via agencies like MPEDA to identify new global markets beyond the US, including the EU, Japan, Korea, Russia, Australia, and Southeast Asia.
Industry participants have highlighted other challenges, such as certification hurdles for EU markets, gaps in cold chain and processing infrastructure for niche products like rainbow trout, and the need to improve access to finance. To address these issues, suggestions include extending scheme benefits to larger exporters, incentivizing value addition, strengthening government-backed certification support, enhancing infrastructure, and exploring emerging markets such as South Korea, Middle East, Russia, and China.
Despite these efforts, exporters are urged to urgently diversify export markets away from the US to avoid the loss of approximately ₹24,000 crore (~USD 2.64 billion) due to punitive tariffs and intense competition from countries like Ecuador with lower tariffs in the US market. Frozen shrimp continues to dominate exports, accounting for 44-66% by quantity and value, but there is growing interest in varieties like Black Tiger shrimp, which can help diversification.
India's fisheries sector has witnessed remarkable growth, with annual fish production rising by 104% over the past decade to 195 lakh tonnes in 2024-25. Inland fisheries and aquaculture now contribute over 75% of India's total fish production output. Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh emphasized the importance of value addition in Indian seafood products to enhance export revenues.
Dr. Abhilaksh Likhi, Secretary (Fisheries), expressed concern over India's heavy dependence on Whiteleg shrimp and the need to increase the share of value-added products from the current 10% to between 30% and 60%. The minister urged agencies like MPEDA to conduct detailed state-wise mapping of species-specific exports and identify new global markets.
In summary, India’s seafood export potential in 2025 is strong but challenged by trade barriers, prompting government initiatives focused on value addition, infrastructure, market diversification, and sustainable fisheries development to boost this sector’s global footprint and resilience by 2025 and beyond.
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