Industry Odisha Bureau, Jun 9: India’s marine products exports have increased by nearly 70 per cent in value terms over the last decade and currently accounts for around 4 per cent of global seafood trade, said Union Minister of Commerce & Industry Piyush Goyal here.
Addressing at a workshop here, Goyal called upon stakeholders to work collectively towards achieving seafood exports of USD 30 billion within the next five years through value addition, branding, quality enhancement, sustainability and diversification of export markets.
The Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce & Industry, in collaboration with the Department of Fisheries and the Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI), organized a two-day National Workshop on Seafood Exports in Visakhapatnam recently.
Addressing the inaugural session, Piyush Goyal highlighted the Government’s whole-of-government approach towards promoting seafood exports and emphasized the need to increase the share of value-added seafood products, including ready-to-eat and ready-to-cook offerings, and encouraged exporters to leverage market access opportunities arising from India’s recently concluded Free Trade Agreements covering 38 countries.
He reiterated the Government’s vision of establishing India as a globally trusted source of high-quality and sustainable seafood products.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu highlighted Andhra Pradesh’s leadership in fisheries and aquaculture and its significant contribution to India’s seafood exports.
Naidu reaffirmed the State Government’s commitment to making Andhra Pradesh a global hub for sustainable aquaculture and seafood exports through innovation, infrastructure development, branding and stakeholder collaboration.
Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh highlighted the remarkable growth of India’s fisheries sector, with fish production increasing from 95.8 lakh tones in 2012-13 to nearly 198 lakh tones in 2024-25.
He noted that despite global challenges, India’s seafood exports reached approximately Rs 73,890 crore (USD 8.46 billion), with frozen shrimp continuing to be the country’s leading seafood export item. He highlighted the Government’s efforts under PMMSY and PMKSSY 2.0 to strengthen export-oriented fisheries infrastructure, traceability, value addition and sustainable aquaculture.
Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu underscored the importance of efficient logistics and air cargo infrastructure in supporting high-value seafood exports.
He highlighted ongoing efforts to strengthen cargo infrastructure, improve multimodal connectivity and streamline cargo movement to enhance India’s export competitiveness.
Another Union Minister Chirag Paswan emphasised the immense potential for value addition in the seafood sector and called for greater focus on processing, branding, technology adoption and market diversification. He stressed the need to move from “volume to value” and “produce to product” while strengthening India’s position as a trusted global supplier of food products.
Secretary, Department of Fisheries, Dr. Abhilaksh Likhi highlighted the importance of coordinated efforts among stakeholders to strengthen India’s seafood export ecosystem. He underlined the role of infrastructure development, certification, innovation, value addition and market access in enhancing the sector’s global competitiveness.
The event brought together senior officials from the Central Government, States and Union Territories, representatives of key institutions including MPEDA, EIC, NFDB, NABARD, NCDC, NCEL and SFAC, as well as seafood exporters, processors, industry associations, startups, researchers, aquaculture farmers and other stakeholders from across the seafood value chain.
The event also witnessed the distribution of benefits to eligible beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Kisan Samridhi Sah-Yojana (PMKSSY), Kisan Credit Card (KCC) and other Government schemes.
During the interactive session, stakeholders discussed key challenges across the fisheries value chain, including disease management, rising input costs, fishmeal availability, access to quality seed and broodstock, quarantine infrastructure, logistics, cold chain development, certification requirements, traceability and sustainability standards.
Participants also highlighted the need to promote value addition, diversify export markets, support startups and MSMEs, and encourage sustainable fisheries practices.
