FY2025-26 sets records across volume and value; Vizag handles 3.28 lakh tonnes worth ₹20,217 crore, cementing its place as India’s premier seafood gateway
India’s seafood export sector has achieved a landmark it has long been working towards in FY 2025–26; total seafood exports reached an all-time high of 19.72 lakh tonnes, generating a record export value of ₹73,890 crore, equivalent to approximately US$8.46 billion. The milestone underscores the growing global appetite for Indian marine products and the country’s expanding ability to meet that demand with competitive quality and logistics.
At the forefront of this achievement is Visakhapatnam Port, which has cemented its position as India’s leading seafood export gateway. The port handled 3.28 lakh tonnes of seafood exports valued at ₹20,217 crore in FY26 — the highest among all Indian ports. Vizag’s strong performance reflects its robust cold-chain infrastructure, efficient reefer container handling capabilities, and strategic connectivity to key export markets in Southeast Asia, Europe, and North America.
The record export figures reflect a confluence of factors: sustained advancements in aquaculture productivity, improvements in seafood processing standards and food safety compliance, expansion of cold-chain logistics networks across coastal regions, and growing brand recognition for Indian seafood in premium international markets. Shrimp, particularly vannamei and black tiger varieties, remains the dominant export product, but finfish, squid, cuttlefish, and value-added processed seafood are also growing segments.
Seafood is one of India’s most strategically important agricultural exports, providing livelihoods to millions of fishermen, aquaculture farmers, and processing plant workers across coastal states including Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Kerala. The record FY26 earnings translate into significant foreign exchange inflows and economic activity in some of India’s most coastal-dependent communities.
Visakhapatnam Port’s leadership in seafood exports is no accident. The port has invested deliberately in facilities tailored to the needs of marine product exporters — reefer plugs, dedicated cold storage facilities, streamlined customs and FSSAI inspection processes, and direct shipping connections to major seafood-importing countries. These investments have made Vizag the port of choice for Andhra Pradesh’s massive aquaculture industry, which alone accounts for a substantial share of India’s total seafood output.
Looking ahead, the seafood export sector has the potential to grow further. Government targets under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) envisage doubling fisheries exports in the coming years. Achieving that goal will require continued investment in port infrastructure, cold-chain logistics, processing capacity, and market access negotiations — with ports like Visakhapatnam playing a central enabling role.
