Visakhapatnam Port becomes India’s top seafood export hub

Visakhapatnam Port has become India’s main gateway for seafood exports, handling almost one-third of the country’s shipments in 2023-24.

Data from the Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) shows that seafood exports through Vizag Port were worth $2.19 billion. This was 29.72 per cent of India’s total seafood exports of $7.38 billion in FY24.

In FY25, exports grew slightly to $7.45 billion, up from $7.38 billion the year before. Export volumes, however, fell from 17.81 lakh tonnes to 16.98 lakh tonnes. The rise in earnings was mainly due to demand for high-value items like frozen shrimp.

Frozen shrimp earned $5.17 billion, making up nearly 70 per cent of export earnings and 43 per cent of volumes. Frozen fish brought in $622 million and frozen squid $368 million.

The United States was the top buyer, importing $2.71 billion worth of seafood, up from $2.55 billion last year. China followed with $1.27 billion, and the European Union with $1.12 billion. Other key markets were Southeast Asia, Japan and the Middle East.

“Vizag Port has become the backbone of India’s seafood trade with its exporters, hatcheries, processing plants and cold chain facilities,” said Visakhapatnam Port Authority Chairman Madhaiyaan Angamuthu.

The port’s container terminal, run by Visakha Container Terminal Pvt. Ltd., can handle large vessels up to 16 metres deep. It has a capacity of six lakh TEUs and can berth three ships at a time. The terminal also has 650 reefer power sockets, backup power, and strong road and rail links, making it ideal for perishable cargo.

Major exporters from Vizag include Nekkanti Sea Foods, Devi Sea Foods, Coastal Exporters and Sandhya Marines. Hatcheries such as BMR, VBC and Kanaka Maha Laxmi provide quality shrimp seed to support aquaculture.

India is the world’s third-largest fish producer and fourth-largest seafood exporter. The government aims to raise seafood exports to $14 billion by 2030. Of this, $1.6 billion is expected to come from value-added products such as processed and ready-to-cook seafood, which are in high demand in the US, EU and Japan.

Schemes like the Blue Revolution and the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana, along with lower import duties on feed inputs, are expected to support this growth.

“Vizag Port, with its modern facilities and exporter network, will stay at the centre of India’s seafood growth story,” Dr. Angamuthu said.