India Cushions U.S. Tariff Impact on Seafood Exports
U.S. Duties Bite, but India’s Marine Exports Stay Afloat
New Delhi: United States tariff measures on Indian seafood exports have raised cost and competitiveness pressures for exporters, but official data indicate that the sector has so far absorbed the impact without a contraction in overall shipments, prompting a policy response focused on diversification, market expansion and trade negotiations rather than emergency intervention.
Responding to a question in the Rajya Sabha, the Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying said the government was closely monitoring the situation arising from U.S. tariff actions, noting that the United States remains a major destination for Indian marine products. While the higher duties have made Indian exports relatively more expensive in the American market, the minister said export performance during the current financial year had remained robust.
According to figures compiled by the Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics, India’s marine product exports during April to October 2025 rose to ₹42,322 crore, or about USD 4.87 billion, registering a year-on-year increase of 21 per cent in value. Export volumes during the same period climbed 12 per cent to 10.73 lakh tonnes, compared with 9.62 lakh tonnes a year earlier, suggesting that exporters have so far managed to offset tariff pressures through higher volumes, market diversification and product adjustments.
Officials indicated that the tariff impact has been uneven rather than sector-wide, with pressure concentrated on exports to the U.S. market. This has accelerated efforts to broaden India’s export base, including deeper engagement with the European Union and Russia, where approvals for Indian fishery establishments have increased following sustained regulatory coordination. The government has also emphasised the need to improve utilisation of existing free trade agreements while pursuing new trade arrangements to expand market access.
At the diplomatic level, the tariff issue has been folded into ongoing discussions with Washington, with the government intensifying engagement with the U.S. towards a proposed India–U.S. Bilateral Trade Agreement aimed at addressing trade frictions and improving predictability for exporters. Domestically, exporters have been supported through a combination of Reserve Bank of India trade measures, the Credit Guarantee Scheme for Exporters, and initiatives designed to ease liquidity and working capital constraints.
The response has also focused on longer-term structural resilience. Under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana, projects with a total outlay exceeding ₹21,274 crore, including a central share of ₹9,189 crore, have been approved over the past five years to modernise infrastructure, strengthen quality compliance and expand aquaculture capacity. These investments are intended to support value addition, improve competitiveness and reduce vulnerability to market-specific shocks.
In parallel, the government has promoted diversification into higher-value species such as seabass, cobia, pompano, mud crab, GIFT tilapia, grouper, Penaeus monodon and scampi, alongside seaweed cultivation, as part of a strategy to move beyond traditional export baskets. Awareness programmes on emerging trade agreements, exporter outreach initiatives, buyer–seller meets, and technical exposure visits have been used to help producers adapt to evolving global demand and regulatory standards.
Officials said the experience with U.S. tariffs has underscored the importance of spreading export risk across markets and products rather than relying on a single destination. While acknowledging that tariff-related pressures remain a concern for exporters focused on the U.S. market, the government maintained that the sector’s growth trajectory has not been derailed and that policy efforts are aimed at turning the challenge into an opportunity for diversification and upgrading.
Taken together, the data suggest that U.S. tariff measures have acted less as a shock to India’s seafood exports and more as a catalyst for strategic adjustment, with export growth sustained so far through a combination of policy support, market diversification and investment in value-added production.
– global bihari bureau
