Seafood exports to get a boost as EU approves 102 new Indian fishery establishments

Kochi | The European Union (EU) has approved 102 additional fishery establishments for the export of India's marine products to EU member countries, the Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) announced on Thursday.

MPEDA considers it as a major development that would help the country's seafood sector make deeper inroads in European markets and help cushion the impact of US tariffs.

“With this, the number of EU-approved Indian seafood export units has increased to 604--marking an enormous step forward in enhancing India's presence in the highly lucrative European seafood market. This landmark achievement came after a string of parleys Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and his senior ministry officials held with their EU counterparts, aimed at bolstering confidence in India's robust seafood control mechanisms,” MPEDA said.

MPEDA and the Export Inspection Council (EIC) also played a crucial role in this deal through their sustained and coordinated efforts in strengthening food safety standards across the seafood value chain, officials said.

Welcoming the salutary development, MPEDA chairman D V Swamy said it is a significant milestone which underscores India's commitment to upholding the highest standards of food safety from primary production to export.

“The limitation in the number of EU-approved fishery establishments was a major impediment to our seafood exports to the EU. The listing of more units gives a huge opportunity to our exporters to significantly increase their presence in the competitive European seafood market through quality and diversification of products,” he said.

The major markets for Indian marine products among EU member states are Belgium, Spain, and Italy. The India–EFTA Trade Agreement, coming into force on October 1, 2025, is also expected to enhance market access to EFTA nations such as Norway and Switzerland.

MPEDA's initiatives for promoting marine food exports include field-level sensitisation on the importance of Good Management Practices (GMPs) in aquaculture, implementation of traceability measures such as farm enrolment, residue monitoring through Pre-Harvest Testing (PHT), and adherence to HACCP protocols from production to processing.

According to MPEDA, India shipped 16,98,170 metric tonnes of seafood worth Rs 62,408.45 crore (USD 7.45 billion) during 2024-25, with frozen shrimp sustaining its prominence as the top exported item in terms of quantity and value, amid the USA and China turning out to be the major importers of the country's seafood.

The EU is the third-largest seafood export destination for India, accounting for 15.10 per cent of India's total exports.

Exports to the EU totalled 215,080 MT worth Rs 9429.56 crore (USD 1,125.60 million) during 2024-2025, showing a positive trend in both quantity and value.

The major items of export to the EU were shrimp, cuttlefish, and squid in frozen form, the MPEDA statement said.

The EU imported marine products worth USD 67.84 billion in 2024, of which India's share was only 1.50 per cent.

India has significant potential to improve the exports of frozen shrimp, frozen cephalopods, other prepared and preserved value-added products of shrimps, Tuna, etc., and the listing of additional units will provide a boost to such trade trends, MPEDA officials added.

Meanwhile, the seafood exporting community greeted the new development with jubilation.

Dr Manoj Sharma, MD of Mayank Aquaculture Private Limited (MAPL), Olpad, Gujarat, a leading shrimp farmer and restaurateur, in a post on X said, “Huge thanks to MPEDA for their tireless efforts in securing new EU approval for 102 shrimp processing plants.

This achievement will undoubtedly boost India's shrimp exports to Europe, benefiting our industry.” Santhosh Prabu of Island Exports, Tuticorin, Tamil Nadu, said, “We've been trying to get EU approval through various platforms. The approval has now finally come through the sustained efforts of MPEDA and EIC.”

Vijay Gopal, of Basu International, Kolkata, said the tariff issues with the US is both a challenge and an opportunity, as they impelled us to venture into new markets such as the EU. “We thank MPEDA for giving us continuous guidance and support," he added.