Strengthening Marine Food Export Chains

Key Highlights from the National Workshop on Marine Food Exports

Event Overview

• Dates: June 5-6, 2026
• Location: Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh
• Organizers: Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying in collaboration with the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and the Government of Andhra Pradesh.

Participants

• Key Attendees:
  • Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, N. Chandrababu Naidu
  • Minister of Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal
  • Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Rajiv Ranjan Singh
  • Other senior officials from the central government and representatives from states and Union Territories.
• Institutions Involved:
  • Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA)
  • National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB)
  • NABARD, National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC), and others.

Workshop Focus

• Strengthening marine food value chains.
• Enhancing India’s global competitiveness in seafood exports.
• Discussions on traceability, sustainable certification, value addition, export diversification, and exploiting high-value deep-sea resources.

Strategic Discussions

1. Export Infrastructure and Logistics:

   • Emphasis on expanding cold chain, air cargo, and quarantine facilities to ensure compliant trade.
   • Importance of enhancing logistics for a resilient seafood export framework.

2. Domestic Fisheries and Export Potential:

   • Highlighted the need to boost inland fisheries, including ready-to-eat products and high-value species.
   • Focused on diversifying high-value activities such as cage farming and pearl farming.

3. Quality Assurance and Regulatory Compliance:

   • The significance of robust quality assurance systems and adherence to international regulatory standards.
   • Discussions included digital traceability, antimicrobial standards, and market access mechanisms.

4. Role of Technology and Innovation:

   • The necessity for a comprehensive governmental approach to foster investment, innovation, and private sector participation.
   • Promotion of sustainable practices and advanced technology in aquaculture and fisheries.

Economic Targets

• Aimed at achieving a national target of over ₹1 lakh crore in marine food exports.
• Addressing challenges such as disease management, rising costs, and limited availability of quality seed and quarantine facilities.

Technical Sessions

• First Session: Focused on leveraging traceability and certification systems to enhance export competitiveness.
• Second Session: Discussed the role of startups and MSMEs in promoting marine food exports through innovation and market diversification.

Outcomes and Recommendations

• A collaborative commitment was established among stakeholders to strengthen India’s marine food export framework.
• Emphasis on a coordinated approach incorporating sustainable production, value addition, traceability, certification, infrastructure development, and market diversification.

Significance

• The workshop aimed to enhance India’s position as a reliable supplier of high-quality, sustainable marine food products in global markets, creating further opportunities for fishermen, farmers, processors, startups, and MSMEs.

Conclusion

• The outcomes of the workshop are expected to contribute to policy formulation and targeted measures to improve India’s global marine food export competitiveness, ensuring sustainable growth in the sector.