Australia removes curbs on Andhra shrimp exports

WIth the Andhra Pradesh shrimp manufacture veneer the brunt of a plunge 60% tariff imposed by the Donald ruff brass in the US on Indian shrimp exports a couple of months ago, the Australian government provided much-needed relief to the sector by removing restrictions on Indian prawns.This was disclosed by Andhra Pradesh IT minister Nara Lokesh on Tuesday during his ongoing visit to Australia, where he has been holding meetings with government officials, investors, and seafood trade officials.Describing it as a major breakthrough for India’s seafood sector, Lokesh took to X to announce that Australia has granted its first import approval for unpeeled Indian prawns.Australia had long restricted the import of unpeeled prawns from India after the detection of white spot virus in previous consignments.This ban has been a persistent challenge for Indian exporters, particularly prawn farmers and traders from North Andhra, who have been eager to regain access to the Australian market after massive tariffs announced by America.“A long-standing hurdle for Indian seafood exporters has been Australia’s restrictions on unpeeled prawns due to white spot virus detection. Today, the first import approval for Indian prawns has been granted,” Lokesh tweeted, calling the development a major step forward for the sector.He said that the approval will give a significant boost to India’s aquaculture exporters and reduce over-dependence on a single market. He expressed gratitude to both the Indian and Australian governments for working together to resolve the long-standing issue and enable the resumption of trade.A statement from Lokesh’s office said he had met leaders of Seafood Industry Australia (SIA) in Parramatta and called for structured trade missions and networking platforms to connect Andhra Pradesh’s seafood exporters with buyers in Australia and worldwide.He said Andhra Pradesh was a leader in India’s seafood exports and had several advantages. He called for joint initiatives to upgrade processing quality, extend shelf life, and raise compliance standards via modern cold-chain, packaging, and biosecurity practices that align with global market requirements.The minister also proposed collaboration on sustainable aquaculture, environmental resilience, and culinary tourism that showcases Andhra Pradesh seafood cuisine to new international audiences, the statement said.The move is expected to provide fresh momentum to prawn exporters across India and create new opportunities for coastal Andhra’s seafood economy.On September 15, Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu wrote to Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Union commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal, and Union fisheries minister Rajeev Ranjan Singh, requesting that the Centre come to the rescue of aqua farmers in Andhra Pradesh who are facing severe distress due to US-imposed tariffs.He said Andhra Pradesh accounts for 80% of the country’s shrimp exports and 34% of marine exports, valued at around ₹21,246 crore annually. About 2.5 lakh aqua farmer families and 30 lakh people dependent on allied sectors are in difficulty, he said.He pointed out that the US tariffs touched 59.72% after Trump announced 25% additional tariffs over and above the 25% announced earlier, as well as the 5.76 per cent countervailing duty and 3.96 per cent anti-dumping duty.According to the Seafood Exporters’ Association of India (SEAI), during 2023-24, marine food products worth US $2.55 billion were exported from India to the United States, with shrimp accounting for 92% of these exports.The Andhra Pradesh shrimp industry has suffered heavy losses with 50% of the export orders getting cancelled in the recent past.“Nearly ₹600 crore in tariff burden has fallen on about 2,000 containers being exported,” he said.Naidu urged the Centre to focus on diversifying export markets beyond the US. He suggested entering into Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) with the European Union, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, and Russia to boost exports.The chief minister also sought interim financial support for exporters, clarity on tariff/tax relief schemes, and noted that exporters were ready to supply seafood to the EU.He stressed the need to expand the domestic aqua market. He requested a ₹100 crore corpus fund, establishment of cold storages, hygienic fish and seafood markets, and said that the state government was ready to set up the Andhra Pradesh Shrimp Producers Coordination Committee to facilitate direct farmer-to-market supply chains.