Regardless of ‘main problem’ of US tariffs, India’s seafood export hits all-time excessive | India Information
3 min learnBhubaneswarUp to date: Jul 9, 2026 03:30 PM IST
Regardless of an unprecedented 58% US tariff, India’s seafood exports have elevated to Rs 73,800 crore in 2025-26 from Rs 62,000 crore within the earlier yr, stated Union Fisheries Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh on Thursday.
Addressing a gathering in Bhubaneswar through the nationwide launch of Letter of Authorisation (LoA) for sustainable harnessing of fisheries within the excessive seas, Singh stated the expansion in seafood export is a results of the free commerce agreements (FTAs) India signed with varied international locations throughout the globe.
“In 2025-26, we confronted a significant problem when the USA imposed a 58 per cent tariff on our exports. The US is the most important purchaser of India’s shrimp, accounting for over 40% of our whole exports. A way of disappointment prevailed all through the nation. However PM Narendra Modi inspired us to acknowledge the challenges and to search out out options to maneuver additional,” stated Singh.
In line with official figures, India exported 19,72,018 metric tonnes (MT) of seafood valued at Rs 73,890 crore (USD 8.46 billion) throughout 2025–26 monetary yr, registering an all-time excessive in each quantity and worth regardless of difficult world market situations.
Whereas the US and China continued to be the principal importers of Indian seafood through the yr, frozen shrimp remained the main export merchandise, contributing Rs 49,037 crore.
Vice President C P Radhakrishnan launched the programme and distributed LoA to the fisheries cooperative societies, together with Nationwide Cooperative Exports Restricted and fishing vessel house owners, enabling eligible Indian-flagged fishing vessels to undertake regulated fishing operations within the excessive seas.
‘Past the horizon’
At current, a lot of the fishing actions focus inside 40-50 nautical miles of the coast. As deeper waters and areas past nationwide jurisdiction supply substantial alternatives for harvesting high-value species, significantly tuna and tuna-like sources, the Union authorities has notified a framework for the sustainable harnessing of fisheries from the Indian unique financial zones (EEZ) and excessive seas.
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“For many years, most of our fishing actions remained closed to the shores. As we speak, with the launch of the programme, we’re able to look past the horizon,” stated the Vice President.
On the expansion of India’s seafood export, Radhakrishnan stated it signifies that India’s high quality is appropriate to your complete globe. “The world has developed confidence within the high quality of India’s seafood now, however I firmly consider that the very best achievements are but to come back,” he added.
The Vice President additionally launched the Odisha Deep Sea Fishing Mission, an initiative aimed toward unlocking deep sea fishing potential alongside the state’s 575-km shoreline.
