Exports of seafood from India increased by 13 between during the first ten months of the current financial year (April 2017 through January 2018).
During the period, Indian seafood exported 1.08 million metric tons (MT) valued at INR 359.1 billion (USD 5.31 billion, EUR 4.44 billion), as compared to 954,744 MT and INR 326.2 billion (USD 4.83 billion, EUR 4.03 billion), respectively, a year earlier, the Marine Products Exports Development Authority (MPEDA) said in a statement.
Seafood Exporters Association of India (SEAI) National President V Padmanabham told SeafoodSource said a rise in aquaculture production was the main factor in the rise. Padmanabham said he expects the trend to continue through at least the next fiscal year, and added that the E.U. remains an important market for India despite the rise in roadblocks for Indian products reaching the bloc due to a clampdown on inspections.
The United States, Southeast Asia, and the European Union continue to be the three largest markets for Indian seafood exports, though demand from Japan has risen substantially, according to MPEDA. The U.S. share of Indian seafood imports was during the period was 33.99 percent in value terms, while Southeast Asia share was 32.30 percent, and the E.U. share was 14.70 percent. Japan ranked after those leading three markets with a 6.59 percent share of Indian imports, followed by the Middle East region with 3.78 percent and China with 2.97 percent.
Shrimp was India’s leading seafood export, with the country sending 456,404 MT abroad valued at USD 3.94 billion (EUR 3.29 billion), an increase of 20.63 percent compared to the 378,355 MT exported during the same period last year, MPEDA said.
West Bengal-based exporter Digha Seafood Exports’ Director Prabhat Kumar told SeafoodSource that an increase in production of shrimp in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Odisha, and West Bengal are the “major reason” for the increase in exports.
"In Odisha, production has increased to 40,000 MT this fiscal year, as compared to 15,000 MT produced during the last fiscal year,” Kumar said. “In Bengal, production has touched 60,000 metric tons from 45,000 metric tons a year earlier.”
In states such as Maharashtra and Gujarat, new shrimp and fish farms are coming online and state government policies supporting aquaculture production are boosting production, Kumar said.
Frozen shrimp continued as the top export item of India’s marine products basket, with a share of 42.05 percent in quantity and 69.95 percent of total value.
The largest markets for India's frozen shrimp were the U.S. (187,873 MT), Southeast Asia (127,525 MT), EU (62,164 MT), Japan (28,064 MT), the Middle East (15,801 MT), and China (9533 MT).
"India's exports of seafood remained on the upward curve despite a fall in global shrimp prices triggered by oversupply from major shrimp-producing countries and more stringent test regimes imposed by the E.U. to detect antibiotic residues in frozen shrimp consignments," MPEDA Chairman A Jayathilak said in a statement.
Indian’s export of vannamei shrimp also increased by 14.69 percent to 332,415 MT during the period, as compared to 289,826 MT exported between April 2016 and January 2017.
Japan emerged as the major market for black tiger shrimp, with a share of 49.38 percent in value, followed by the U.S. with 18.09 percent and Southeast Asia with 15.06 percent.
Export of frozen fish stood at 279,642 MT against 250,465 MT a year earlier, showing a growth of 11.65 percent in quantity and 3.93 percent in value terms. Frozen squid declined by 12.83 percent in volume and 14.98 percent in value.
