MPEDA Holds Marine Sector Stakeholder Awareness Meetings

KOCHI:
The recently signed India–UK Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) marks a significant milestone in India’s seafood export sector, and there is an imperative need to adopt strategies for availing the opportunities like value addition and upskilling offered by it, MPEDA Chairman D.V. Swamy, has said.

Swamy highlighted this issue during the Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA)’s Stakeholder Awareness Meetings on the benefits and opportunities of the agreement for the marine sector in Chennai and Vizag on October 16 and 17, respectively.

Anil Kumar P., Joint Director, MPEDA, presented the salient features of CETA and opportunities for the marine products export sector.

Alex Paul Menon, Development Commissioner, MPEZ-SEZ, discussed the possibilities for the development of Marine Aquaparks SEZ in Tamil Nadu during the meeting in Chennai. The stakeholders shared their perceptions about the opportunities for India’s marine products export sector.

Under the agreement, 99 per cent of tariff lines will now enjoy zero-duty access, enhancing the competitiveness of Indian seafood in the UK market. Key export items, such as Vannamei shrimp, frozen squid, lobsters, frozen pomfret, and black tiger shrimp, will benefit from duty-free access.

The meetings at Chennai, where the MPEDA team was headed the Chairman, were attended by Devasenapathy, Secretary, Coastal Aquaculture Authority (CAA); Praveen Kumar, Director, Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoCI); Dr. Ram Mohan M.K., Director, MPEDA; Sunanda Tewari, Professor & Head of Trade & Investment Law, CTIL; and Dr Nilesh Anil Pawar, Deputy Director, Department of Fisheries, Govt. of India.

The other attendees were K.V. V. Mohanan, National Vice President, SEAI; representatives of EIA, Chennai; and 55 seafood exporters from Tamil Nadu and Nellore region of Andhra Pradesh.

The stakeholder meeting at Visakhapatnam, which was also chaired by the MPEDA Chairman, was attended by Praveen Kumar, Director, Department of Commerce, MoCI, S. Kishore, Dr. Ram Mohan M.K., Director, MPEDA; G. Pawan Kumar, National President, Seafood Exporters Association of India (SEAI); Kondragunta Anand Kumar, Regional President, SEAI, Andhra Pradesh; representatives of Export Inspection Agency (EIA), Vizag, and 37 exporters from Andhra Pradesh and Odisha.

India exported marine products worth USD 7.45 billion in 2024–25, with shrimp, fish, and cuttlefish among the top categories. The exports to the UK in 2024-25 were 16,082 MT worth US$104.43 million.

The UK has a high demand for Indian frozen seafood, driven by the large Indian diaspora and the demand for processed seafood, particularly shrimp, fish, and squid. Frozen shrimp contributed 77% of total exports to the UK, with an export value of $80.05 million, followed by frozen fish, which contributed to eight per cent of total exports, with $8.35 million in exports in 2024-25.

The India-UK CETA, a comprehensive economic and trade agreement signed in July this year, is expected to facilitate doubling of Indian exports to the UK in the coming years, and will enhance the competitiveness of Indian seafood, increasing the scope for value addition, upskilling, and better employment opportunities for skilled labour. This agreement boosts economic growth, job creation, innovation, and sustainable practices.