195 lakh tonnes of fish exported in FY 2024-25
In a move to boost India’s seafood exports, alternative markets have been identified including the UK, EU, Oman, the UAE, South Korea, Russia, said Rajiv Ranjan Singh, the Minister, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying (MoFAH&D).
After chairing “Seafood Exporters Meet 2025” in New Delhi on 11 Aug, he has particularly emphasised the need to tap South Korea’s potential and the Middle East’s growing demand for seafood.
India’s annual fish production has witnessed a significant growth of 104%, rising from 95.79 lakh tonnes in FY 2013-14 to 195 lakh tonnes in FY 2024-25. Inland fisheries and aquaculture have emerged as key contributors, accounting for over 75% of the total production https://fieo.org/.
India exported 17.81 lakh metric tonnes (MT) of seafood during the financial year 2023–24. The total value of these exports was Rs.60,523.89 crore, which is equivalent to US$7.38 billion. This represents a slight increase in export volume compared to 17.35 lakh MT in 2022–23 http://commerce.gov.in.
Frozen shrimp continued to be the most significant item in India’s seafood export basket. It earned Rs.40,013.54 crore (US$4.88 billion), accounting for 40.19% of the total export quantity and 66.12% of the total earnings in dollar terms. In 2023–24, India exported 7.16 lakh MT of frozen shrimp https://www.bseindia.com/.
Stakeholders at the meeting highlighted key challenges in boosting seafood exports, including the need for greater value addition where competing nations like China offer strong incentives, tariff barriers in major markets such as the United States, and certification and compliance hurdles for accessing high-value destinations like the EU https://www.nseindia.com/.
They also pointed to non-tariff barriers such as private testing, third-party clearances, and farm certifications, along with gaps in cold chain and processing infrastructure for niche products like rainbow trout https://sbi.com.in/.
Suggestions included extending scheme benefits to larger exporters, introducing incentives for value addition, strengthening government-backed certification support, enhancing infrastructure, facilitating B2B linkages with global buyers, and improving access to finance through banks and NBFCs, the Ministry said. Fiinews.com
