Hyderabad: As hefty tariffs on India restrict exports to the US, a new door has opened for the country’s seafood industry. In a big relief for seafood exporters, especially from Andhra Pradesh, Australia has eased its ban on import of unpeeled prawns.
Andhra Pradesh IT minister Nara Lokesh announced on ‘X’ Tuesday that Australia had granted “its first import approval for unpeeled Indian prawns”.
“A long-standing hurdle for Indian seafood exporters has been Australia’s restrictions on unpeeled prawns due to white spot virus detection,” wrote Lokesh. “Today, the first import approval for Indian prawns has been granted,” he stated, extending gratitude “to the extensive work done by Indian and Australian governments” in its facilitation.
Lokesh, a prominent leader of the ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and son of Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, is on an official visit to Australia, where he has been holding meetings with government officials and investors to promote Andhra Pradesh as an investment destination.
In an apparent reference to the US tariffs, Lokesh noted that “we should continue to open new markets to de-risk ourselves from too much dependence on one market”.
According to the commerce ministry, US is a major importer of Indian seafood in terms of value, with imports worth $2.71 billion shipped in 2024-25 as against $2.55 billion the previous year.
China, the European Union, South East Asia, Japan and the Middle East are other major importers of Indian seafood like prawns.
Australia had long restricted the import of unpeeled prawns from India after the detection of white spot virus in previous consignments. The ban has been a persistent challenge for exporters, particularly prawn farmers and traders from north Andhra who were eager to regain access to the Australian market after the massive tariffs announced by America, Andhra officials said.
Australia lifting the ban is expected to provide fresh momentum to prawn exporters across India and create new opportunities for coastal Andhra’s seafood economy, they added.
Since the US tariffs came into effect in August, the Naidu government had been searching for avenues to rescue the state’s aqua food sector, a major industry here.
Andhra Pradesh supplies about 33 percent of the seafood exported from India. Shrimps dominate the industry, accounting for over 90 percent of Indian seafood exports to the US.
With a long coastline and conducive climate, the state is also the leading producer of shrimps, reportedly accounting for 70 percent of total farming in the country.
Around 3 lakh farmers are involved in aquaculture in Andhra Pradesh, whereas an estimated 50 lakh are either directly or indirectly dependent on the sector, according to CM Naidu.
However, the Donald Trump administration’s tariffs have sounded a death knell for the thriving industry, as about 60 percent of Andhra Pradesh’s shrimp exports in 2024-25—3.70 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) of shrimps—were to the US.
As part of its efforts to shield aqua farmers, Naidu has also requested the Narendra Modi government to support the sector in various ways, and the state is also urging the Centre to explore alternative foreign markets.
To protect the farmers from export shocks, the state is betting big on improving domestic consumption with Naidu encouraging the inclusion of aqua food, such as fish and prawns, in diet.
His administration is also forming a firm, the AP Prawn Producers Company, an initiative to aid shrimp producers through the establishment of producer organisations and domestic marketing efforts.
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)