Vizag port emerges as India’s top seafood export gateway

Visakhapatnam: The Visakhapatnam port has emerged as India’s top seafood export gateway in 2025-26, handling 3.28 lakh tonnes valued at ₹20,217 crore, according to the Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA).MPEDA chairman P Jawahar said India’s seafood exports hit a record in both volume and value during the fiscal, reaching 19.72 lakh tonnes worth ₹73,890.46 crore ($8.46 billion), despite global headwinds. Exports rose 16.13% in volume, 18.4% in rupee value and 13.44% in dollar terms.The US and China remained the top importers of Indian seafood. Frozen shrimp continued to dominate exports, followed by frozen fish.Jawaharlal Nehru Port (JNP) ranked second with over 3.1 lakh tonnes worth ₹8,717 crore, followed by Kochi (1.79 lakh tonnes; ₹7,285 crore), Kolkata (1.07 lakh tonnes; ₹5,913 crore) and Chennai (1.10 lakh tonnes; ₹5,411 crore). Other ports together handled 9.2 lakh tonnes worth ₹26,344 crore.Of India’s total seafood exports of $8.46 billion, shipments through Vizag accounted for $2.31 billion, or 27.42%.Officials attributed Vizag’s performance to Andhra Pradesh’s strong aquaculture base, particularly vannamei shrimp farming. The port’s efficiency in handling large volumes also contributed to its top ranking.Frozen shrimp remained the leading export item, generating ₹49,037.93 crore ($5.62 billion) — 40.19% of total export volume and 66.52% of export earnings. India exported 7,92,647 tonnes of frozen shrimp, recording growth of 13.16% in rupee terms and 8.64% in dollar terms.The US was the largest importer of frozen shrimp (2,56,128 tonnes), followed by China (1,69,505 tonnes), the EU (1,35,599 tonnes), Southeast Asia (83,810 tonnes), Japan (40,776 tonnes) and the Middle East (30,478 tonnes). Exports of vannamei and black tiger shrimp rose in both volume and value.The US remained the top market in value terms, importing 2,79,193 tonnes worth ₹20,263.27 crore ($2.33 billion), though exports declined across value and volume. China led in volume with 4,90,369 tonnes, followed by the EU and Southeast Asia.