Amid US tarrif challenge: Minister asks seafood exporters to be brave, explore alternative markets

Addressing a press conference after the meet, Singh said, “We also told them (seafood exporters) that whatever challenges have come our way, we have to face them boldly.”

“Where there’s a will, there’s a way. There are alternative markets available for us. These include the European Union, Japan and South Korea. Recently, Prime Minister [Narendra Modi] has signed a Free Trade Agreement with the UK, in which there is a provision for the fisheries sector… Then there are markets available in Russia, Australia, West Asia and Southeast Asia. So, many countries are available for us…,” Singh said.

He also emphasised the need for improving value addition and packaging before reaching other markets.

The Fisheries Ministry in a statement said, “Stakeholders at the meeting highlighted key challenges in boosting seafood exports, including the need for greater value addition where competing nations like China offer strong incentives, tariff barriers in major markets such as the United States, and certification and compliance hurdles for accessing high-value destinations like the EU.

“They also pointed to non-tariff barriers such as private testing, third-party clearances and farm certifications, along with gaps in cold chain and processing infrastructure for niche products like rainbow trout,” the statement said.

Among the suggestions given by the exporters were: extending scheme benefits to larger exporters, introducing incentives for value addition, strengthening government-backed certification support, enhancing infrastructure, facilitating B2B linkages with global buyers and improving access to finance through banks and Non-Banking Financial Companies.

“Alternative markets identified for expansion included the UK, EU, Oman, UAE, South Korea, Russia and China, with particular emphasis on South Korea’s potential and the Middle East’s growing demand,” the statement said.

During the meeting, the Union Minister asked the officials to conduct stakeholder consultations for accurate mapping of state-wise species-specific exports and identifying new export opportunities. He also assured the stakeholders of the government’s commitment to further strengthening Indian seafood exports.

In his address, MoS Baghel highlighted the vast fisheries resources of the country and urged the stakeholders to leverage them to boost India’s exports. Baghel emphasised the importance of identifying and tapping new markets to mitigate global market risks and called upon all stakeholders to work in close collaboration with state governments to strengthen and expand the seafood value chain.