Big relief for seafood exporters with EU deciding to allow more fishery units

In a momentous development that will help the country’s resilient seafood sector make deeper inroads in European markets and cushion the impact of US tariffs, the European Union (EU) has approved 102 additional fishery establishments for the export of India’s marine products to its member-countries.

With this, the number of EU-approved Indian seafood export units has increased from 538 to 604 — marking an enormous step forward in enhancing India’s presence in the highly lucrative European seafood market.

This 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. The Marine Products Export Development Authority (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.

Several firms from Andhra Pradesh and other maritime States will be major beneficiaries. India shipped 16,98,170 metric tonnes of seafood worth Rs 62,408.45 crore (US$ 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% of India’s total exports. The exports to the EU were 215,080 MT worth Rs. 9429.56 Crore (USD 1125.60 million) during 2024-2025 and showed a positive trend in quantity and value. The major items of export to the EU were shrimp, cuttlefish, and squid in frozen form.

The EU imported marine products worth USD 67.84 billion during 2024, of which India’s share was 1.50% only. 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.

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 for 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 pointed out.

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 1st October 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 sensitization 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.

Dr Manoj Sharma, MD of Mayank Aquaculture Private Limited (MAPL), a leading shrimp farmer and restaurateur, tweeted, “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.”