India’s seafood exports hit record $8.28 billion in FY26; shrimp dominates, US demand dips

India’s seafood exports rose to an all-time high of ₹72,325.82 crore ($8.28 billion) in the financial year 2025–26, driven largely by strong shipments of frozen shrimp, provisional government data showed on Tuesday.

Export volumes climbed to 1.93 million metric tonnes during the year, according to the Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA).

Frozen shrimp continued to dominate India’s marine export basket, contributing ₹47,973.13 crore (USD 5.51 billion), accounting for over two-thirds of the total export earnings.

Shrimp shipments rose 4.6% in volume and 6.35% in value year-on-year.

The United States remained India’s largest export destination, with imports worth $2.32 billion.

However, shipments to the US fell sharply, declining 19.8% in volume and 14.5% in value, mainly due to the impact of reciprocal tariffs, the data showed.

The decline in exports to the US was offset by strong growth in alternative markets.

Exports to China, India’s second-largest destination, rose 22.7% in value and 20.1% in volume.

Shipments to the European Union jumped 37.9% in value and 35.2% in volume, while exports to Southeast Asia grew more than 36% in value and 28% in volume.

Exports to Japan rose 6.55% in value, while shipments to West Asia edged down marginally by 0.55%, affected by regional instability toward the end of the fiscal year.

The data also showed positive momentum across several product categories, including frozen fish, squid, cuttlefish, dried items and live products, while exports of chilled items declined.

Value-added products such as surimi, fishmeal and fish oil also recorded improved performance.

India’s top five seafood export hubs — Visakhapatnam, Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT), Kochi, Kolkata and Chennai — together accounted for nearly 64% of total export value.