Seafood sector breathes again, thanks to landmark deals with the U.S., EU, says SEAI

The Seafood Exporters’ Association of India (SEAI) has welcomed the “double-win” for the nation’s bluish economy, pursuing the decision of the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the European Union and de-escalation of commercialized tensions with the United States.

With the U.S. marketplace getting stabilised and the EU marketplace opening up, manufacture experts foretell that India is connected way to surpass its 2024-25 seafood export valuation of $7.3 billion.

The duplicate developments are expected to prevention thousands of jobs crossed India’s coastal belt, peculiarly successful Andhra Pradesh, which serves arsenic the country’s superior aquaculture hub, says SEAI president G. Pawan Kumar.

Speaking to reporters present connected Wednesday, Mr. Kumar said that aft a gruelling six-month period, erstwhile Indian seafood was deed with punitive tariffs arsenic precocious arsenic 50%, a caller commercialized knowing slashed that complaint to 18%.

The “tariff shock” that began successful August 2025 had a devastating impact. Between April and November 2025, export quantities to the U.S. — India’s largest export marketplace ($2.78 cardinal successful 2024-25) — plummeted by astir 15%, helium added.

“The restoration of tariff to 18% restores our competitiveness. It allows Indian exporters to erstwhile again spell head-to-head with planetary rivals, who person begun to prehend our marketplace stock during the play of punitive duties,” Mr. Kumar stated.

While the U.S. woody focusses connected recovery, the FTA with the European Union is being hailed arsenic a large maturation engine. “Under the caller agreement, import duties connected Indian seafood, which antecedently ranged from 4.2% to 7.5%, person been eliminated entirely,” helium added.

The interaction of person ties with Europe is already visible. The EU precocious listed 102 caller Indian fishery units authorised for export. This regulatory greenish airy helped thrust a staggering 37.8% summation successful export worth to the EU during the second fractional of 2025, adjacent earlier the zero-tariff authorities was afloat enacted, helium said.

While explaining, helium said, successful 2024-25, India had exported seafood valued astatine astir $1.1 cardinal to the EU. During April-November 2025, seafood exports to the EU accrued by 28% successful presumption of quantity and by 37.8% successful worth terms, compared to the corresponding play the erstwhile year.

“As Andhra Pradesh produces the lion’s stock of India’s farmed shrimp, the State authorities has been nether aggravated unit from farmers and processors to resoluteness the U.S. commercialized deadlock. Now, we breathed a relief,” Mr. Kumar said.

“The instauration is present laid for sustained growth,” said Mr. Kumar. “India has re-established itself arsenic a reliable, competitive, and high-quality planetary supplier,” Mr. Kumar said.

SEAI Andhra Pradesh determination president K. Anand Kumar and caput D.S.K. Dileep were present.