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3 min readBhubaneswarJul 9, 2026 03:03 PM IST
At present, most of the fishing activities concentrate within 40-50 nautical miles of the coast. (AP File Photo)
Despite an unprecedented 58% US tariff, India’s seafood exports have increased to Rs 73,800 crore in 2025-26 from Rs 62,000 crore in the previous year, said Union Fisheries Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh on Thursday.
Addressing a gathering in Bhubaneswar during the national launch of Letter of Authorisation (LoA) for sustainable harnessing of fisheries in the high seas, Singh said the growth in seafood export is a result of the free trade agreements (FTAs) India signed with various countries across the globe.
“In 2025-26, we faced a major challenge when the United States imposed a 58 per cent tariff on our exports. The US is the biggest buyer of India’s shrimp, accounting for over 40% of our total exports. A sense of disappointment prevailed throughout the country. But PM Narendra Modi encouraged us to acknowledge the challenges and to find out solutions to move further,” said Singh.
According to official figures, India exported 19,72,018 metric tonnes (MT) of seafood valued at Rs 73,890 crore (USD 8.46 billion) during 2025–26 financial year, registering an all-time high in both volume and value despite challenging global market conditions.
While the US and China continued to be the principal importers of Indian seafood during the year, frozen shrimp remained the leading export item, contributing Rs 49,037 crore.
Vice President C P Radhakrishnan launched the programme and distributed LoA to the fisheries cooperative societies, including National Cooperative Exports Limited and fishing vessel owners, enabling eligible Indian-flagged fishing vessels to undertake regulated fishing operations in the high seas.
‘Beyond the horizon’
At present, most of the fishing activities concentrate within 40-50 nautical miles of the coast. As deeper waters and areas beyond national jurisdiction offer substantial opportunities for harvesting high-value species, particularly tuna and tuna-like resources, the Union government has notified a framework for the sustainable harnessing of fisheries from the Indian exclusive economic zones (EEZ) and high seas.
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“For decades, most of our fishing activities remained closed to the shores. Today, with the launch of the programme, we are ready to look beyond the horizon,” said the Vice President.
On the growth of India’s seafood export, Radhakrishnan said it indicates that India’s quality is acceptable to the entire globe. “The world has developed confidence in the quality of India’s seafood now, but I firmly believe that the best achievements are yet to come,” he added.
The Vice President also launched the Odisha Deep Sea Fishing Mission, an initiative aimed at unlocking deep sea fishing potential along the state’s 575-km coastline.
English (US) ·