India’s seafood exports reached a record high during the financial year 2025-26, with total exports reaching 19.72 lakh metric tonnes (MT) and valued at ₹73,890.46 crore (approximately USD 8.46 billion). The achievement came despite challenging global market conditions and reflects the strong demand for Indian marine products in international markets.
According to the Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA), both export volume and export value reached their highest levels ever. The United States and China continued to be the largest buyers of Indian seafood during the year.
Key Highlights
- India’s seafood exports reached a record ₹73,890 crore (USD 8.46 billion) in FY 2025-26, the highest ever in both value and volume.
- Total seafood export volume touched 19.72 lakh metric tonnes during the year.
- Frozen shrimp remained the top export product, contributing ₹49,038 crore and accounting for over 66% of export earnings.
- The United States remained the largest market in value terms, while China was the largest destination by export quantity.
- Dried seafood exports recorded strong growth, rising 78.05% in rupee value terms.
- Visakhapatnam (Vizag), JNPT, and Kochi were the leading ports handling India’s seafood exports.
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Frozen Shrimp Remains the Largest Export Item
Frozen shrimp remained the biggest contributor to India’s seafood exports. The product generated export earnings of ₹49,037.93 crore (USD 5.62 billion), accounting for 40.19% of the total export quantity and 66.52% of total export earnings in dollar terms.
During FY 2025-26, India exported 7,92,647 MT of frozen shrimp. Shrimp exports recorded growth of 13.16% in rupee value and 8.64% in dollar value compared to the previous year.
The United States remained the largest market for Indian frozen shrimp, importing 2,56,128 MT. It was followed by China with 1,69,505 MT, the European Union with 1,35,599 MT, Southeast Asia with 83,810 MT, Japan with 40,776 MT, and the Middle East with 30,478 MT.
Exports of both Litopenaeus vannamei (L. vannamei) shrimp and Black Tiger shrimp increased in volume as well as value during the year.
Frozen Fish, Dried Seafood and Squid Exports Show Growth
Frozen fish emerged as the second-largest seafood export category, generating ₹5,658.37 crore (USD 643.70 million). Dried seafood products ranked third, earning ₹5,079.09 crore (USD 577.44 million).
Among all major categories, dried seafood recorded one of the strongest performances, with export value rising by 78.05% in rupee terms.
India also exported 1,02,060 MT of frozen squid, earning ₹4,493.80 crore (USD 513.84 million). Frozen cuttlefish exports increased significantly, reaching 67,157 MT valued at USD 331.96 million. Export volumes of frozen cuttlefish grew by 13.32%, while export value increased by 16.25%.
Meanwhile, exports of chilled seafood products earned ₹622.31 crore (USD 71.27 million). Exports of live seafood products also registered growth, increasing by 11.46% in dollar value to USD 62.43 million.
United States and China Lead Import Markets
The United States remained India’s largest seafood export destination in value terms, importing seafood worth ₹20,263.27 crore (USD 2.33 billion). The country imported a total of 2,79,193 MT of seafood from India during FY 2025-26.
However, exports to the United States declined compared to the previous year. Export value fell by 10.82% in rupee terms and 14.22% in dollar terms, while export volume declined by 19.51%. Frozen shrimp accounted for more than 93% of the value of India’s seafood exports to the US market.
China became the largest destination in terms of quantity, importing 4,90,369 MT of seafood worth USD 1.61 billion.
The European Union remained the third-largest market, importing 2,97,518 MT valued at USD 1.59 billion. Southeast Asia followed with imports of 4,51,756 MT worth USD 1.35 billion. Japan imported 1,05,228 MT valued at USD 452.91 million, while the Middle East imported 76,743 MT worth USD 283 million.
Among Indian ports, Visakhapatnam (Vizag), Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT), and Kochi handled the highest volumes of seafood export cargo during FY 2025-26.
Source: Ministry of Commerce & Industry
