Fisheries Ministry to meet envoys to find new seafood export markets

Ambassadors and High Commissioners from about 80 countries will attend a “Fisheries Round Table” organised by the Union Fisheries Ministry in New Delhi on Wednesday (January 21, 2026) to find new export destinations for Indian seafood. The Ministry said the meeting was for strengthening bilateral trade and international market linkage.

The event, to be chaired by Union Minister for Animal Husbandry and Fisheries Rajiv Ranjan Singh, will discuss the promotion of sustainable, traceable and value-added seafood trade. The meeting will also identify avenues for investment, joint ventures, technology transfer and capacity building.

“Discussions will also focus on strengthening the resilience of seafood value chains to climate and market risks. Key thematic areas include global seafood trade trends and opportunities for market diversification; standards, certification and regulatory cooperation; traceability, digital reporting and compliance systems; sustainability and responsible sourcing; value addition, processing and product innovation; cold chain infrastructure, logistics and port connectivity; financing, partnerships and private sector engagement across the blue value chain; and digital and technological transformation in fisheries and aquaculture,” a government release said.

Significant opportunities

It added that additionally, the meeting will highlight “emerging global market dynamics” such as rising demand for high quality, certified and sustainably sourced seafood, increasing consumption of aquaculture-based proteins in North America, Europe and East Asia, and expansion of premium product segments, including ready-to-cook, ready-to-eat and nutraceutical-grade marine products. “These trends present significant opportunities for India to expand its market share through enhanced compliance with international standards, greater focus on value-added processing, species diversification, and leveraging India’s competitive strengths in aquaculture, processing capacity and a robust exporter base.”

The Ministry hoped that the outcomes of the meeting are expected to contribute significantly towards strengthening food security, improving livelihoods across fisheries value chains, and advancing shared goals of sustainability, resilience and inclusive development. The country is the world’s second-largest aquaculture producer and one of the leading global producers of fish and aquatic foods. In 2024–25, seafood exports reached 16.98 lakh tonnes, valued at ₹62,408 crore, contributing nearly 18% to India’s total agricultural exports.