India’s seafood exports reached an all-time high in both volume and value during the financial year 2025-26, with shipments touching 19.72 lakh metric tonnes (MT) worth ₹73,890.46 crore (USD 8.46 billion), despite challenging global market conditions.
Announcing the achievement, Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) Chairman P. Jawahar said the strong performance underscores the resilience of India’s seafood sector and its growing presence in international markets.
Frozen shrimp continued to dominate India’s seafood exports, accounting for nearly two-thirds of total export earnings. During FY 2025-26, frozen shrimp exports generated ₹49,037.93 crore (USD 5.62 billion), contributing 66.52 per cent of total export earnings in dollar terms and 40.19 per cent of total export volume.
Shrimp exports registered robust growth, rising 13.16 per cent in rupee terms and 8.64 per cent in dollar value compared to the previous year. India exported 7,92,647 MT of frozen shrimp during the year.
The United States remained the largest importer of Indian frozen shrimp, purchasing 2,56,128 MT, followed by China with 1,69,505 MT. Other major destinations included the European Union, Southeast Asia, Japan, the Middle East, and several other countries. Exports of both Litopenaeus vannamei (Vannamei shrimp) and Black Tiger shrimp recorded growth in volume as well as value.
Frozen fish emerged as the second-largest export category, earning ₹5,658.37 crore (USD 643.7 million), while dried seafood products ranked third with export earnings of ₹5,079.09 crore (USD 577.44 million). Dried seafood exports witnessed particularly strong growth, registering a 78.05 per cent increase in rupee value terms.
Exports of frozen squid stood at 1,02,060 MT, generating ₹4,493.80 crore (USD 513.84 million). Frozen cuttlefish exports also recorded healthy growth, increasing by 13.32 per cent in quantity and 16.25 per cent in dollar value. A total of 67,157 MT of frozen cuttlefish was exported during the year, earning USD 331.96 million.
Chilled seafood products contributed ₹622.31 crore (USD 71.27 million), while exports of live seafood products grew by 11.46 per cent in dollar value terms to reach USD 62.43 million.
Among export destinations, the United States remained India’s largest seafood market in value terms, importing seafood worth ₹20,263.27 crore (USD 2.33 billion). However, exports to the US declined by 10.82 per cent in rupee value, 14.22 per cent in dollar value, and 19.51 per cent in volume compared to the previous year. Frozen shrimp accounted for over 93 per cent of India’s seafood export value to the US.
China emerged as the largest destination in terms of quantity, importing 4,90,369 MT of Indian seafood valued at USD 1.61 billion.
The European Union (EU) remained the third-largest market by value, importing 2,97,518 MT worth USD 1.59 billion. Southeast Asia followed with imports of 4,51,756 MT valued at USD 1.35 billion. Japan retained its position as the fifth-largest importer, purchasing 1,05,228 MT worth USD 452.91 million, while the Middle East imported 76,743 MT valued at USD 283 million.
In terms of logistics, Visakhapatnam, Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT), and Kochi emerged as the top three ports handling seafood export cargo during FY 2025-26.
