The Centre has pledged full support to state governments in achieving a ₹1 lakh crore seafood exports target, committing to a whole-of-government approach that creates wider opportunities for fishers, farmers, processors, startups, and MSMEs. The assurance came through an official statement issued on Sunday, 7 June, following the conclusion of the National Workshop on Seafood Exports held in Visakhapatnam.

Workshop Brings Stakeholders Together

The two-day national workshop at Visakhapatnam drew senior officials from Central ministries, state and Union Territory representatives, seafood exporters, industry associations, processors, startups, and value-chain stakeholders. Key institutions in attendance included the Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA), the Export Inspection Council (EIC), the National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB), NABARD, NCDC, NCEL, SFAC, and Invest India.

The workshop underscored a shared commitment to strengthening India's seafood export ecosystem through coordinated action across sustainable production, value addition, traceability, certification, infrastructure, innovation, and market diversification.

Key Priorities Identified

Deliberations centred on repositioning India as a globally competitive seafood exporter — shifting from volume-driven shipments to high-quality, value-added products. Officials stressed the need to expand export infrastructure, including cold chain, air cargo, and quarantine facilities, to ensure efficient and compliant trade flows.

The importance of scaling exports from inland fisheries — which contribute significantly to overall production — was highlighted, alongside untapped potential in emerging segments such as ready-to-eat products and high-value species. Sustainability, quality assurance, and regulatory compliance were recurring themes throughout the sessions.

What Officials Said

Sagar Mehra, Joint Secretary, Department of Fisheries, emphasised scaling up production, strengthening traceability and certification frameworks, and harnessing untapped potential in deep-sea and Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) resources through ongoing reforms and flagship schemes.

Ajay Bhadoo, Additional Secretary, Department of Commerce, outlined India's current export performance, evolving global market dynamics, and the role of Free Trade Agreements (FTAs), market diversification, and enhanced competitiveness in expanding seafood exports.

D. Praveen, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Food Processing Industries, underscored the need to scale up processing and value addition, highlighting gaps relative to global benchmarks and detailing key schemes supporting cold chain development, processing infrastructure, and value chain integration.

Road Ahead

The recommendations emerging from the workshop are expected to feed directly into policy formulation and targeted interventions aimed at enhancing India's global competitiveness in seafood exports. Officials also stressed a strong thrust on multimodal logistics, private sector participation, and investment in innovation to build a resilient, future-ready export ecosystem. With India's fisheries sector holding considerable untapped depth — both literally and commercially — the workshop signals that the ₹1 lakh crore ambition is now a coordinated national priority, not merely a headline number.