Department of Fisheries under the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying organized the Seafood Exporters Meet 2025 on Monday at Ambedkar Bhawan, New Delhi, focusing on strengthening India’s seafood export potential.
Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh, along with Ministers of State Prof. S.P. Singh Baghel and George Kurian, led the meeting, which saw participation from key government bodies, industry representatives, and progressive farmers.
Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh emphasized the importance of value addition in Indian seafood products to enhance export revenues. He highlighted ongoing government initiatives including the development of a single-window system for better market linkages, strengthening high seas and Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) fishing, and upgrading fisheries infrastructure.
The minister also urged agencies like MPEDA to conduct detailed state-wise mapping of species-specific exports and identify new global markets to expand India’s seafood footprint.
Prof. S.P. Singh Baghel pointed to India’s vast fisheries resources and called for greater collaboration among stakeholders and state governments to strengthen and expand the seafood value chain.
Minister of State George Kurian reiterated the “Vocal for Local” vision, stressing the need to develop domestic markets alongside export growth.
Dr. Abhilaksh Likhi, Secretary (Fisheries), expressed concern over India’s heavy dependence on Whiteleg shrimp, which accounts for 62% of export value but only 38% of export volume. He highlighted the urgent need to increase the share of value-added products from the current 10% to between 30% and 60%, in line with global benchmarks, while reducing post-harvest losses.
Dr. Likhi assured stakeholders that the government is actively addressing tariff and non-tariff barriers in coordination with Department of Commerce, Ministry of External Affairs, and other relevant authorities.
Industry participants raised challenges such as tariff barriers in the United States, certification hurdles for EU markets, and gaps in cold chain and processing infrastructure, particularly for niche products like rainbow trout.
Suggestions included extending scheme benefits to larger exporters, incentivizing value addition, strengthening government-backed certification support, enhancing infrastructure, improving access to finance, and exploring emerging markets such as South Korea, Middle East, Russia, and China.
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 this output.
In 2023-24, seafood exports reached 1.781 million metric tonnes, valued at Rs 60,523.89 crore (US$7.38 billion). Frozen shrimp remains the leading export, accounting for 40.19% of the quantity and 66.12% of the export earnings.
