India’s seafood exports hit record ₹73,890 crore in 2025-26

India’s seafood exports touched an all-time high in 2025-26, with shipments reaching 19.72 lakh metric tonnes valued at ₹73,890.46 crore (US $8.46 billion), according to the Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA).

MPEDA Chairman P. Jawahar said the sector achieved record growth in both volume and value despite challenging global market conditions, with the United States and China remaining the principal markets.

Frozen shrimp led exports at 7,92,647 metric tonnes worth ₹49,037.93 crore (US $5.62 billion), contributing 40.19% of total volume and 66.52% of earnings in dollar terms — a growth of 13.16% in rupee value and 8.64% in dollar value. The U.S. was the top buyer at 2,56,128 metric tonnes, followed by China and the European Union.

Frozen fish ranked second, earning ₹5,658.37 crore (US $643.70 million), while dried marine products came third at ₹5,079.09 crore (US $577.44 million), recording a sharp 78.05% rise in value. Frozen squid exports stood at 1,02,060 metric tonnes worth US $513.84 million. Frozen cuttlefish exports grew 13.32% in quantity and 16.25% in dollar value, totalling 67,157 metric tonnes worth US $331.96 million.

Among destinations, the U.S. remained the largest market in value terms at US $2.33 billion, though exports declined 14.22% in dollar value and 19.51% in volume. China led in quantity with 4,90,369 metric tonnes worth US $1.61 billion. The EU imported 2,97,518 metric tonnes worth US $1.59 billion, while Southeast Asia, Japan and the Middle East were other key markets.

Visakhapatnam, JNPT and Kochi were the top three ports handling seafood exports, underscoring the sector’s growing contribution to India’s export earnings.