**Executive Summary**
India has transformed its fisheries sector into a globally competitive industry through a ₹39,272 crore investment, achieving a record fish production of 197.75 lakh tonnes in 2024–25. To ensure uninterrupted access to the U.S. market beyond the December 2025 deadline, the government has secured a "comparability finding" regarding marine mammal protection and is implementing Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs). Future strategies focus on shifting to high-value exports, digitizing regulatory approvals, and expanding market reach to the UK, EU, and ASEAN over the next five years.
**Key Points / Main Content**
**Sector Growth and Economic Scale**
* India is the world's second-largest aquaculture producer, contributing 8% of global fish production.
* The sector supports approximately 30 million primary fishers and fish farmers, with double that number employed across the value chain.
* Fish production has grown at an average annual rate of 7%, rising from 141.64 lakh tonnes in 2019–20 to 197.75 lakh tonnes in 2024–25.
**Export Performance and Market Diversification**
* Seafood exports doubled over 11 years, reaching ₹62,408 crore in 2024–25, with frozen shrimp accounting for ₹43,334 crore.
* The United States is the largest export destination (36.42%), followed by China, the EU, Southeast Asia, Japan, and the Middle East.
* The share of value-added products in the export basket has increased from 2.5% to 11%, valued at USD 742 million.
* The government is promoting high-value species including Tuna, seabass, mud crab, GIFT tilapia, and seaweed to diversify the product portfolio.
**Sustainability and International Compliance**
* India secured a comparability finding from U.S. authorities in 2025 to meet Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) requirements.
* Large-scale installation of Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs) on shrimp trawlers is underway to address wild-caught shrimp export restrictions.
* A national digital framework for end-to-end traceability and food safety has been launched to align with global standards.
**Regulatory Reforms and Infrastructure**
* The Sanitary Import Permit (SIP) system is now fully digitized, reducing approval times from 30 days to 72 hours.
* SIP requirements have been waived for specific items, including SPF shrimp broodstock, fish oil, and R&D samples.
* Investments under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) are being used to modernize fishing harbors, cold-chain networks, and post-harvest infrastructure.
**Impact Analysis**
**Fishers and Fish Farmers**
**Impact**
Primary producers benefit from inclusive growth, increased employment opportunities, and government support for quality seed and disease management.
**Action Required**
Adopt new technologies and sustainable fishing practices, such as installing TEDs on trawlers and adhering to new Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) sustainable fishing rules.
**Seafood Exporters and Processors**
**Impact**
Exporters benefit from reduced compliance burdens, faster permit approvals via the National Single Window System, and expanded access to premium markets.
**Action Required**
Shift focus toward higher-value and value-added products; utilize the national digital framework for traceability to ensure compliance with international food safety standards.
**Department of Fisheries / Government Bodies**
**Impact**
The department is tasked with transitioning from traditional oversight to managing a commercially significant, investment-ready sector.
**Action Required**
Scale up inland export hubs and freshwater supply chains; continue streamlining regulatory processes and strengthening cold-chain networks over the next five years.
Key Entities Referenced
Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY): The flagship government scheme supporting interventions across the fisheries value chain, including infrastructure development and aquaculture diversification.
Department of Fisheries: The primary administrative body responsible for implementing sectoral interventions, streamlining regulatory processes, and managing the Sanitary Import Permit system.
Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA): A U.S. regulation requiring international compliance for seafood exports, driving India's adoption of marine mammal by-catch reduction measures.
National Single Window System: A digital regulatory platform integrated with the fisheries sector to streamline import permits and reduce approval times for trade operations.
Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs): Mandatory equipment for shrimp trawlers used to address international export restrictions and meet sustainability standards for wild-caught shrimp.
Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying
India’s Seafood Exports: From Growth to Global
Competitiveness
Posted On: 03 APR 2026 9:40AM by PIB Delhi
India’s fisheries sector has emerged as a major contributor to food security, employment, export earnings
and sustainable livelihoods, backed by a record ₹39,272 crore investment by the Government of India
since 2015. The sector supports nearly 30 million fishers and fish farmers at the primary level and almost
twice as many across the value chain. Ranked the second-largest aquaculture producer globally, India
accounts for about 8% of global fish production. Once largely traditional, fisheries has evolved into a
commercially significant sector over the past decade, while ensuring inclusive growth for small scale
fishers. This transformation is reflected in output growth, with fish production rising from 141.64 lakh
tonnes in 2019-20 to 197.75 lakh tonnes in 2024-25, recording an average annual growth of around 7%.
India’s seafood exports have recorded strong and sustained growth, expanding at an average annual rate of
7% over the past 11 years. Marine product exports have more than doubled during the period, rising from
₹30,213 crore in 2013-14 to ₹62,408 crore in 2024-25, driven largely by shrimp exports valued at ₹43,334
crore.
India’s seafood exports span a wide and diversified basket, with over 350 varieties of products shipped to
nearly 130 global markets. The United States remains the largest destination, accounting for 36.42% of
total export value in 2024-25, followed by China, the European Union, Southeast Asia, Japan and the
Middle East, while other markets together account for about 9%. The export mix continues to be
dominated by frozen shrimp, which remains India’s flagship seafood product, followed by frozen fish,
squid, dried items, frozen cuttlefish, surimi-based products, and live and chilled seafood, reflecting both
strong global demand and expanding product diversification. Share of value added products in the seafood
export basket has increased from 2.5% to 11%, amounting to USD 742 million in export value.
To reduce over-dependence on a few commodities and deepen India’s presence in global seafood markets,
the Government is actively pursuing diversification of the export basket. Under the Pradhan Mantri
Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY), the Department of Fisheries supports a wide range of interventions
across the value chain, including quality fish seed production, expansion and diversification of
brackish-water aquaculture, promotion of export-oriented species, technology adoption, disease
management, traceability systems, and capacity building. Investments are also being made to strengthen
post-harvest infrastructure, seamless cold-chain networks, modern fishing harbours and fish landing
centres. In parallel, the Government is promoting diversified aquaculture focused on high-value species
such as Tuna, seabass, cobia, pompano, mud crab, GIFT tilapia, grouper, tiger shrimp (P. monodon),
scampi and seaweed, with the objective of expanding India’s product portfolio and improving access to
premium international markets.
To safeguard access to key export markets, India is steadily aligning its fisheries sector with international
regulations and sustainability standards. A major focus has been on meeting U.S. compliance
requirements, particularly under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), which mandates
measures to reduce marine mammal by-catch. Following sustained efforts, including scientific stockassessments and stakeholder consultations, India secured a comparability finding from U.S. authorities
in 2025, ensuring uninterrupted seafood exports to the American market beyond the December 2025
deadline. At the same time, steps are underway to address restrictions on wild-caught shrimp exports
through the installation of Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs) on shrimp trawlers, with large-scale
deployment progressing across coastal states. The government has also strengthened traceability and
certification systems, launching a national digital framework to ensure end-to-end tracking, food safety,
and compliance with global standards. Together with new rules governing sustainable fishing in India’s
Exclusive Economic Zone, these measures reflect a concerted push to position India as a responsible and
globally compliant seafood exporter.
To promote ease of doing business in the fisheries sector, the Department of Fisheries has streamlined
several regulatory and import processes. The Sanitary Import Permit (SIP) system has been fully digitised
and integrated with the National Single Window System, reducing approval time from 30 days to only 72
hours. SIP requirements have been waived for SPF shrimp broodstock, fish oil, limited R&D samples, and
wild caught fish imports meant solely for value addition and re-export, easing trade operations. Recent
legal reforms have further reduced compliance burdens for aquaculture units, reflecting a broader push to
make the sector more business-friendly and investment-ready.
Over the next five years, the government plans to sharpen India’s global seafood strategy by shifting the
focus toward higher-value exports, wider market reach and stronger quality assurance. The share of
value-added products is targeted to rise driven by expanded processing facilities, skilled workforce
development and improved certification systems. Efforts will also be directed at scaling exports to markets
such as the UK, EU, ASEAN and West Asia, alongside building inland export hubs and freshwater
supply chains. Enhanced cold-chain networks, digital traceability and compliance frameworks are
expected to underpin India’s ambition to emerge as a dependable and premium seafood exporter in the
years ahead.
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JP.
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