India and Russia are working to form closer seafood ties after the leaders of the two countries met at a business forum in New Delhi, India.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met during the 23rd Russia-India Business Forum in early December, with both leaders reaffirming support for each other and the strengthening of the Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership between the two countries. The partnership, established in October 2000, promises cooperation in a number of areas including security, economic ties, nuclear energy, defense, and natural resources like seafood.
As part of those closer ties, the two leaders said India and Russia are setting a trade target of USD 100 billion (EUR 85 billion) to be achieved by 2030.
India recently applauded increased access to Russia’s markets, as Russia expanded the list of Indian companies eligible to export seafood products to the country. During the forum, Modi emphasized India’s products have strong global demand and added that technology partnerships in cold chain logistics and fishing could be mutually beneficial to the two countries.
"India is rich in seafood and a wide range of processed foods that enjoy high demand around the world,” Modi said, per a transcript of the meeting published by the Kremlin’s media service. “We can create joint ventures and promote technological cooperation to support maritime logistics, deep-sea fishing, and automation of fishing harbors.”
Modi said that the maritime sector is the second priority on the list for greater cooperation between the two countries and that improving Russian and Indian infrastructure through a partnership will help both country’s seafood industries.
“Doing so will not only help meet demand in Russia but also create a new market for Indian-made products,” Modi said.
At the same forum, Russian Minister of Agriculture Oskana Luth headed a session on market opportunities in Russia for Indian products, including shrimp.
"In particular, India is the world's largest producer and exporter of shrimp, which enjoys stable demand in Russia,” the ministry’s press department told Fishnews.
Media reported the minister met with India Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry, and Dairying Rajiv Ranjan Singh and discussed the potential for increasing trade between the two countries – particularly in the fish-farming sector.
India is currently Russia’s top source of shrimp and imported USD 113 million (EUR 96 million) worth of shrimp from the country in 2024, and in the first three quarters of 2025, its imports of Indian shrimp have increased 5 percent by volume and 20 percent by value.
India could use new markets for its shrimp as tariffs from its top trading partner, the U.S., continue to bite. The U.S. placed a 50 percent tariff on all Indian goods, which is forcing India to find new markets for its shrimp aquaculture products.
Even with the increase of exports to Russia, India’s shrimp exports to the country still pale in comparison to its exports to the U.S. The U.S. frequently imports a higher volume of shrimp from India in a single month than India exports to Russia in an entire year.
