America has reduced tariffs… now there is relief for the aquaculture sector. Seafood exporters in the state receive significant relief with the tariff reduction.
Agriculture Minister Kinjarapu Atchannaidu welcomed the reduction from 25 percent to 18 percent.
BUREAU CHIEF
RAJA PENTAPATI AMARAVATI
FEBRUARY 3 BHARAT NEWSState Minister for Agriculture, Cooperation, Marketing, Animal Husbandry, Dairy Development and Fisheries, Kinjarapu Atchannaidu, said that they welcome the US government’s decision to reduce the tariff imposed on Indian seafood exports from 25 percent to 18 percent.
He stated that this decision, taken under the India-US trade agreement, will provide significant relief to seafood exporters in the state, especially the aquaculture sector. He recalled that previously, with the 25 percent tariff and additional punitive tariffs, the total tariff burden amounted to 50-58 percent, resulting in a decrease in Indian seafood exports to the US during the April-November 2025 period. Exports decreased by approximately 15 percent in volume to 2.01 lakh metric tons and by 6.3 percent in value to $1.72 billion.
He specifically mentioned that frozen shrimp, which is primarily exported to the US, was severely affected by this situation. He added that with the reduction of the tariff to 18 percent, the competitiveness of Indian seafood products in the US market has significantly improved, leading to the resumption of stalled export orders and creating favorable conditions for the release of goods stored in bonded warehouses.
It was stated that seafood exports to the US are likely to increase by 10 to 15 percent in the coming months, and that exports are expected to reach pre-tariff levels in the second half of 2025-26. This development will also improve profit margins in the seafood processing sector, with processor margins, which had fallen to 5-5.5 percent during the high-tariff period, expected to return to 7-8 percent after the tariff reduction.
The duty concessions provided on inputs required for seafood processing in the Union Budget 2026 will provide additional support to this sector.
Along with the recovery of the US market, Indian seafood exports to non-US markets such as the European Union, China, Vietnam, Russia, and the United Kingdom are also continuing steadily. The fact that the share of non-US markets in shrimp exports reached approximately 57 percent at the beginning of 2025-26 is evidence of market diversification.
Minister Atchannaidu clarified that this tariff reduction will be a boon for Andhra Pradesh, which is at the forefront of seafood production in the country. With the revival of exports, income stability for farmers and fishermen in the state’s fisheries and aquaculture sectors will increase, along with improved employment opportunities and Gross Value Added (GVA).
Andhra Pradesh
