India’s seafood exporters have just closed the best year in the sector’s history — and the final numbers are even bigger than the first estimate. In financial year 2025–26, India shipped 19,72,018 metric tonnes of seafood worth ₹73,890.46 crore (US$ 8.46 billion), an all-time high in both volume and value, according to the Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA). The figures were announced by MPEDA Chairman P. Jawahar on 1 June 2026, and they matter far beyond the export houses: every tonne of exported shrimp, fish, squid and cuttlefish starts in a pond, a trawler or a landing centre somewhere in India.
This is a data story, not a press-release rewrite. Below are the final figures, how they changed from the provisional estimate, which products and markets drove the record, and what the numbers mean for fish farmers, fishers and small exporters trying to enter the export chain.
The headline numbers at a glance
| Indicator (FY 2025–26) | Final figure | Change vs FY 2024–25 |
|---|---|---|
| Total seafood export volume | 19,72,018 MT (19.72 lakh MT) | +16.13% in volume |
| Total seafood export value | ₹73,890.46 crore (US$ 8.46 billion) | +18.4% in value |
| Frozen shrimp export value | ₹49,037.93 crore (US$ 5,624.48 million) | +13.16% in ₹ value; +8.64% in $ value |
| Frozen shrimp export volume | 7,92,647 MT | 40.19% of total export quantity |
| Shrimp share of export earnings | 66.52% of total $ earnings | Two-thirds of all seafood export income |
| Previous year (FY 2024–25) for comparison | 16.98 lakh MT; ₹62,408.45 crore | — |
The year-on-year comparison is striking. In FY 2024–25, India’s seafood exports stood at ₹62,408.45 crore on 16.98 lakh MT. One year later, value is up 18.4% and volume up 16.13% — growth in both directions at once, which means India sold more seafood and earned more per basket overall, despite a difficult year for its biggest market.
First estimate vs final figure: why two numbers exist
Readers who followed the April announcements may remember a slightly smaller number — and both numbers are correct, for different dates. Here is the honest reconciliation, because confusing the two is the easiest way to misreport this story:
| Release | Volume | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Provisional data (MPEDA via PIB, 21 April 2026) | 19.32 lakh MT | ₹72,325.82 crore (US$ 8.28 billion) |
| Final data (MPEDA, announced 1 June 2026) | 19,72,018 MT | ₹73,890.46 crore (US$ 8.46 billion) |
| Revision between provisional and final | +~40,000 MT | +₹1,564.64 crore |
Provisional figures are released quickly after the financial year ends, before every shipment is fully tallied; final figures replace them once the books close. This post uses the final 1 June 2026 figures throughout. If you see ₹72,325 crore quoted anywhere, that is the April provisional estimate, not a competing claim.
One product runs the show: frozen shrimp
Frozen shrimp is not just the largest export item — it is the story. At ₹49,037.93 crore, shrimp alone earned roughly two-thirds of everything India made from seafood exports, on 7,92,647 MT, or 40.19% of total export quantity. Shrimp exports grew 13.16% in rupee value and 8.64% in dollar value over the previous year, and both major farmed species — Litopenaeus vannamei (whiteleg shrimp) and black tiger shrimp — recorded growth in volume and value.
Where did all that shrimp go? MPEDA’s market-by-market breakdown for frozen shrimp is unusually detailed:
| Shrimp market | Volume (MT) |
|---|---|
| United States | 2,56,128 |
| China | 1,69,505 |
| European Union | 1,35,599 |
| South-East Asia | 83,810 |
| Japan | 40,776 |
| Middle East | 30,478 |
| Other countries combined | 76,351 |
| Total frozen shrimp | 7,92,647 |
The United States alone took nearly a third of India’s shrimp exports — which is exactly why the US tariff story below matters so much to shrimp farmers in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Gujarat.
The rest of the basket: fish, dried products, squid, cuttlefish
Shrimp dominates the headlines, but the rest of the basket had a strong year too — and one category exploded:
| Product | FY 2025–26 performance |
|---|---|
| Frozen fish (2nd largest item) | ₹5,658.37 crore (US$ 643.70 million) |
| Dried seafood products (3rd largest) | ₹5,079.09 crore (US$ 577.44 million); +78.05% in ₹ value |
| Frozen squid | 1,02,060 MT; ₹4,493.80 crore (US$ 513.84 million) |
| Frozen cuttlefish | 67,157 MT; US$ 331.96 million; +13.32% quantity, +16.25% $ value |
| Chilled seafood products | ₹622.31 crore (US$ 71.27 million) |
| Live seafood products | US$ 62.43 million; +11.46% in $ value |
The dried-products surge — up 78.05% in rupee value — is the sleeper figure of the year. Dried fish is often a small-scale, coastal livelihood product, and a jump of that size suggests strong international demand reaching beyond the big frozen-shrimp processors. Chilled products, by contrast, were the weak spot in the provisional release, which noted a decline in that segment while frozen fish, squid, cuttlefish, dried items and live products all gained.
Where it all went: the destination league table
| Destination | Volume (MT) | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States (largest by value) | 2,79,193 | ₹20,263.27 crore (US$ 2,328.74 million) | Down 10.82% ₹ / 14.22% $ / 19.51% volume YoY |
| China (largest by quantity) | 4,90,369 | US$ 1,611.32 million | Up 22.7% value / 20.1% volume (provisional release) |
| European Union (3rd by value) | 2,97,518 | US$ 1,592.09 million | Up 37.9% value / 35.2% volume (provisional release) |
| South-East Asia | 4,51,756 | US$ 1,348.97 million | Up 36.1%+ value (provisional release) |
| Japan (5th by value) | 1,05,228 | US$ 452.91 million | Up 6.55% value (provisional release) |
| Middle East (6th by value) | 76,743 | US$ 283 million | Marginal decline in provisional release |
Two facts in that table explain the whole year. First, China overtook everyone on quantity — 4,90,369 MT, more than the US total — even though the US still leads on value, because America’s basket is overwhelmingly high-value shrimp. Second, the US decline is real and steep: down 19.51% in volume and 14.22% in dollar value, which the provisional release attributed primarily to reciprocal tariffs. Frozen shrimp still accounted for 93.55% of the value of India’s seafood exports to the US, so the tariff hit landed squarely on shrimp farmers and processors.
The real story: diversification saved the record
Had India still depended on the US the way it did a few years ago, FY 2025–26 would have been a bad year. Instead, it was a record — because growth elsewhere more than covered the American shortfall. The EU grew 37.9% in value, China 22.7%, South-East Asia over 36%, and Japan 6.55%, on the provisional release’s market growth rates. MPEDA Chairman P. Jawahar made the same point at the announcement, noting that exporters diversified the base and boosted lower-value products to ride out global headwinds, and that the top destinations’ share of exports edged down by about two percentage points as China, the EU and Vietnam gained ground.
That diversification is also a risk map for the coming year. A record built on many markets is sturdier than one built on a single buyer — but it also means Indian exporters now have to meet the quality, traceability and certification demands of the EU, China and South-East Asia simultaneously, not just America’s.
How the fish left India: the gateway ports
MPEDA’s final release names three leading export gateways for FY 2025–26: Visakhapatnam (Vizag), Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) and Kochi. The provisional release added that the top five ports — Vizag, JNPT, Kochi, Kolkata and Chennai — accounted for nearly 64% of total export value. For producers, the geography matters: Andhra Pradesh’s shrimp belt feeds Vizag, Maharashtra and Gujarat feed JNPT, and Kerala’s marine landings feed Kochi. Cold-chain distance to one of these gateways is a real cost factor for any farmer or fisher cooperative thinking about exports.
What this means for fish farmers and fishers
Record export numbers do not automatically put money in a small farmer’s pocket — but they do change the opportunity map. Here is how to read them practically:
- Shrimp still pays the bills. Two-thirds of export earnings come from one product. If you farm shrimp, export demand is your market; if you farm anything else, the dried-products boom (+78.05%) and the frozen-fish and cephalopod numbers show where buyers are looking beyond shrimp.
- Quality and traceability are the entry ticket. Export markets, especially the EU, buy on documentation: farm registration, residue controls, cold-chain records and traceability. MPEDA is the authority that registers exporters and promotes marine exports — any serious export plan starts with its requirements, not with finding a buyer first.
- Don’t bet on one market. The US story of FY 2025–26 is a warning: a 19.51% volume fall in the biggest market did not sink the year only because other markets grew. Farmers tied to a single buyer or single destination carry the same concentration risk.
- Value addition beats raw volume. Dried products, surimi, fishmeal and fish oil all improved in the provisional release, and packaged, branded products command better margins than raw landings — the same logic behind recent moves into branded packaged fish at home.
- Watch the next data point, not just this record. FY 2025–26 is now closed history. The question for FY 2026–27 is whether US demand recovers, whether the EU’s 37.9% surge holds, and whether unit values recover from the price pressure visible in the final-release reporting (overall average unit value down 2.31% to US$ 4.29 per kg, even as volumes grew).
How a small producer can approach the export chain
This is general guidance, not a scheme announcement — there is no new export subsidy or application window in the MPEDA figures themselves, and none is claimed here:
- Start with MPEDA. Check the Marine Products Export Development Authority’s exporter registration and quality requirements before investing in export-grade infrastructure.
- Join the chain through a processor or cooperative. Most small farmers reach export markets via registered processors and exporters, or through Fish Farmer Producer Organisations, rather than shipping directly.
- Invest in cold chain first. Ice, chilled storage and fast transport to a gateway port (Vizag, JNPT or Kochi) protect quality — and quality is what export buyers pay for.
- Keep records from pond to packing. Traceability documentation is increasingly a condition of sale in the EU and other premium markets.
- Diversify species and products. The FY 2025–26 data rewards producers who are not only in vannamei shrimp: dried products, cephalopods and frozen fish all grew.
Frequently asked questions
What was the value of India’s seafood exports in FY 2025–26?
₹73,890.46 crore (US$ 8.46 billion), on 19,72,018 MT — the final MPEDA figures announced 1 June 2026, an all-time high in both volume and value.
Why do some reports say ₹72,325 crore?
That was the provisional estimate released in April 2026 (19.32 lakh MT). The final tally revised it upward to ₹73,890.46 crore. Always quote the final figure for FY 2025–26.
Which product earns India the most from seafood exports?
Frozen shrimp: ₹49,037.93 crore, 66.52% of dollar earnings, on 7,92,647 MT.
Which country buys the most Indian seafood?
The United States by value (US$ 2,328.74 million) and China by quantity (4,90,369 MT). The EU is third by value.
Did US tariffs hurt Indian seafood exports?
Exports to the US fell 19.51% in volume and 14.22% in dollar value in FY 2025–26, attributed primarily to reciprocal tariffs in the provisional release — but record growth in the EU, China and South-East Asia more than offset it.
Which ports handle most seafood exports?
Visakhapatnam, JNPT and Kochi lead, per MPEDA’s final release; the top five ports including Kolkata and Chennai handled nearly 64% of value in the provisional release.
Why this record matters — and what to watch next
India is the world’s second-largest fish producer, and its production story and its export story are now moving together: domestic output hit a record 197.75 lakh tonnes in 2024–25, and exports followed with a record ₹73,890 crore in 2025–26. The sector’s challenge has shifted from producing more to selling smarter — diversified markets, documented quality, and value-added products that survive tariff shocks and price pressure. The next MPEDA release will show whether FY 2026–27 extends the record or whether the US drag and soft unit values catch up. Either way, the FY 2025–26 numbers set the benchmark every future year will be measured against.
Note: the images in this post are illustrations created for this article, not photographs of a specific port or shipment.
Related reading on Fisheries India
- India’s Fish Output Hits 197.75 Lakh Tonnes (2024–25) — the production record behind the export record.
- FAO SOFIA 2026: Global Fisheries Output Hits 235M Tonnes — where India sits in world production.
- Diglipur’s 3-Day Shrimp + Cage Training Starts Nov 2 — shrimp skills for the export chain.
- Kashmir Trout Goes Packaged: FSSAI Clears Khyber — how branded, packaged fish adds value at home.
Official sources
- MPEDA final FY 2025–26 export figures via PIB, 1 June 2026: India’s seafood exports achieve unprecedented milestone in FY 2025–26
- MPEDA provisional FY 2025–26 figures via PIB, 21 April 2026: Frozen Shrimp Contributes ₹47,973 Crore to India’s Record Marine Exports
- Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA): mpeda.gov.in