India’s foreign policy and geopolitical calculations are ingrained with the principles of multi-alignment and diplomatic soundness. These ideals indeed lately has given New Delhi a strategic mileage to surf against the tariff tussle unleashed by the US President Donald Trump thereby fortifying its export market potential and ensuring no harm to the trade and business potential of the exporters.
As per the latest developments, India is gearing to expand the export of its seafood products to Australia, European Union and Russia. This includes even the export of shrimp and the decision is deemed as a major relief to the domestic shrimp and larger seafood cultivators who were hit by the irrational tariffs imposed by the Trump administration. The commendable aspect to be noticed here is, in the path of navigating the tariff tantrums of the United States, India’s export market not just opened up to one nation, but to a series of countries or trading partners who actually hail from the divergent points of the geopolitical spectrum.
India now has export potential to Russia, Australia and the countries of the European Union who indeed are on the differing geopolitical spots. But New Delhi has diplomatic leverage to trade with all these partners, thereby harnessing the economic security and prosperity of the seafood cultivators and traders of India in an era when the world is evolving to be increasingly transactional. In this direction, Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, while speaking to private media house reiterated that in the path of championing new export markets for India, the government has eradicated the prevailing legacy issues. This refers to outdated regulatory mechanisms, unresolved disputes and other bottlenecks that hinder smooth trading in the current days.
These legacy issues have been resolved thus expanding the export market to the Indian fisheries sector. Minister Goyal further added that the government is closely working and negotiating with the Seafood Exporters Association of India to furnish more export markets for the Indian exporters. The government is also consistently seeking to resolve all the gridlocks in the path of exploring more export destinations for the Indian exporters. Continuous negotiations, deliberations and solutions seeking credentials are underway, the Minister added.
Specifically with respect to the European Union, the continent was adamant to import Indian fish due to some quality control hurdles. These obstacles have been prevailing for a decade. Lately, the government with intense diplomatic manoeuvring resolved this more than a decade old problem thus opening the market of the European Union(EU) to Indian seafood exporters. With this nearly 102 fisheries of India are permitted to export the products to Europe. Infact, the EU has high aspiration and demand for the Indian seafood, especially the shrimp.
The bold and firm strategic autonomy, remarkable diplomatic ability to foster multi-alignment is indeed the hallmark of India’s foreign policy and diplomatic landscape that is aiding to sail through the tariff tsunami imposed by the US President. New Delhi’s ability to anchor partners across the geopolitical spectrum irrespective of ideological, strategic or economic diversifications, is the cornerstone of India’s strategic success that helps to ensure economic security and national security at large.
As of 2024-25, the seafood exports of India are valued at USD 7.45 billion. Frozen shrimps top the list of seafood products exported from India. The major markets include United States, china, European Union, Southeast Asia, Japan and the West Asia.
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