Following the announcement of a 50% tariff by the United States, India is taking action to protect its businesses, especially those involved in seafood exports. The strategy involves alerting businesses to find alternative markets beyond the US. This response is primarily aimed at dealing with the tariffs imposed by the US. India’s move is driven by the need to counteract the economic effects of the tariffs that the US has implemented.
India’s seafood trade with the US, particularly shrimp exports, has been hit by these tariffs. The government has instructed seafood exporters to explore other markets for selling shrimp and other types of fish. The government held a meeting with seafood exporters, and they discussed strategies. The main objective is to secure the seafood trade by finding alternative markets for supply, other than the US.
Some potential markets include the UK, the European Union, Oman, the UAE, South Korea, Russia, and China. The focus on South Korea is due to the high consumption of seafood there. Increased value addition and improved packaging are essential for gaining access to these new markets. Seafood exports from India have seen substantial growth over the last decade, doubling to 600 billion rupees. Frozen shrimp exports from India in 2025 were valued at $7.38 billion. The US share of this total was 35%, equivalent to $2.8 billion. A significant part of India’s seafood exports to the US consists of ‘Vannamei shrimp’. The US annual seafood imports amount to $6 billion, with Ecuador accounting for a 19% share.
