Parliament Question: Shrimp Consignments Export

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1592 ANSWERED ON 28/07/2026 SHRIMP CONSIGNMENTS EXPORT

1592. SMT. KANIMOZHI KARUNANIDHI:

Will the Minister of COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY (वाणिज्य एवं उद्योग मंत्री) be

pleased to state:

(a) whether shrimp consignments exported from India were rejected, detained or returned by major importing countries, including the USA, the European Union and Japan, during 2018–2026, if so, the details thereof, year and country-wise;

(b) the quantity and value of such consignments, along with the reasons for rejection, detention or return, year and State-wise;

(c) the quantity of returned consignments that were destroyed, re-exported, reprocessed or otherwise disposed of in India during the said period, year-wise;

(d) whether any returned consignments were permitted for sale in the domestic market, if so, the quantity involved and the details of approvals granted therefor; and

(e) the estimated losses suffered by exporters and shrimp farmers due to such rejections and the corrective measures taken by the Government in this regard? ANSWER वाणिज्य एवं उद्योग मंत्रालय में राज्यमंत्री (श्री णिणिन प्रसाद) THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY (SHRI JITIN PRASADA)

(a) & (b) Few consignments were rejected due to multiple reasons including presence of antibiotic residues, bacteriological contamination and other quality issues due to lack of hygienic handling and poor time-temperature control etc. The average percentage of rejection against the total number of shrimp consignments exported from India from 2018-2026* is 0.13%. The details of shrimp consignments exported from India that were rejected by major importing countries like the United States of America (USA), the European Union (EU), and Japan, during the period 2018-2026* are given as Annexure I. The total number of rejection along with the estimated value of rejected containers is given in Annexure-II.

(c) & (d) The consignments rejected for parameters other than antibiotic residues are permitted to be reprocessed and re-exported by Export Inspection Council (EIC) through its Exports Inspection Agencies (EIAs) which issues permission for re-export if the food safety parameters are found to comply with the national regulations.

1Permission for local sale is obtained from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) after the necessary testing is carried out by FSSAI-approved laboratories.

(e) The year-wise estimated financial loss incurred due to rejections on account of antibiotic residues is enclosed as Annexure II. The major measures taken by the

Government to address these concerns are given as follows:

I. Policy Reforms for antibiotic bans: Government has notified various regulations in 2025 to comply with national and international standards on aquaculture products, which includes: i. S.O. 1158 (E) dated 12.03.2025 for prohibiting the import, manufacture, distribution, and sale of Chloramphenicol and Nitrofuran for use in any food-producing animal rearing system in India, ii. S.O. 1981 (E) dated 01.05.2025 amending S.O. 729 (E) to prohibit the use of 37 anti-microbials (reserved for human use) at any stage of aquaculture activities related to shrimp, prawn, fish and fishery products, iii. S.O. 4338(E) dated 23.09.2025 for prohibiting the import, manufacture, sale, and distribution of 34 listed anti-microbial medicinal products for veterinary use.

II. Capacity building of shrimp farmers and processing workers including antibiotic awareness, Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) training, hygiene training, HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) training;

III. Notifying the registration of dealers to bring them under the regulatory regime;

IV. Implementation of National Residue Control Programme and Pre-Harvest Testing to monitor residues and ensure antibiotic-reside free aquaculture shrimp production for export;

V. Formulation of the National Framework for Traceability Systems in fisheries and aquaculture, etc.

VI. Implementation of a nationwide app-based enrolment mechanism named “Aqua Trace” for aquaculture farms and hatcheries aimed at establishing a robust traceability system and strengthening compliance with international food safety and sustainability standards.

***** 2Annexure referred to in reply to Part (a) & (b) of Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 1592 for answer on 28.07.2026 Annexure I Total number of shrimp rejections 2018-2026* Market EU USA Japan No. of No. of No. of Year Rejections Rejections Rejections 2018 20 45 5 2019 5 27 5 2020 5 62 5 2021 9 43 5 2022 6 25 10 2023 9 37 10 2024 10 33 3 2025 15 32 4 2026* 7 9 1 *As on 15/07/26 (Source: MPEDA) 3Annexure referred to in reply to Part (a), (b) & (e) of Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 1592 for answer on 28.07.2026 Annexure II Details of total number of shrimp rejections from EU, USA, and Japan and approximate value of rejected containers (Year-wise) Year Total number of rejected Cost of all Antibiotic Estimated shrimp consignments rejected rejections Financial loss (Rs.) (EU, USA, JAPAN) containers (Rs.) 2018 70 51,37,15,311 26 19,08,08544.00 2019 37 64,60,56,723 15 26,19,14,887.50 2020 72 74,75,20,531 20 20,76,44,592.00 2021 57 37,40,13,722 17 11,15,47,952.00 2022 41 32,03,52,030 22 17,18,96,211.00 2023 56 51,16,09,236 28 25,58,04,618.00 2024 46 42,90,15,187 22 20,51,81,176.00 2025 51 54,49,94,370 27 28,85,26,431.00 2026* 17 14,07,91,610 9 7,45,36,734.50

Note: As per the data collected from the exporters, it is submitted that consignments rejected for parameters other than antibiotic residues have been permitted to be reprocessed and re-exported. The year-wise financial loss incurred due to rejections on account of antibiotic residues is furnished above.

* As on 15/07/2026 (Source: MPEDA) ***** 4