The Department of Fisheries under the Centre is set to hold a roundtable conference with ambassadors and high commissioners from 83 partner countries to enhance seafood exports. India stands as the sixth-largest exporter of fish and fishery products, with seafood exports reaching 16.98 lakh metric tonnes valued at Rs 62,408 crore ($7.45 billion) in 2024–25, contributing nearly 18% to India’s total agricultural exports.
The conference, chaired by Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Rajiv Ranjan Singh, will see the presence of Ministers of State George Kurian and S.P. Singh Baghel. Ambassadors and High Commissioners from various regions worldwide will attend, along with senior officials from Central ministries and international agencies like FAO, AFD, GIZ, BOBP, ADB, and IFAD.
This event serves as a significant diplomatic and technical platform for structured discussions on seafood trade, market access, regulatory cooperation, and opportunities for strengthening bilateral and multilateral partnerships. Discussions will focus on promoting sustainable, traceable, and value-added seafood trade, as well as identifying avenues for investment, technology transfer, and capacity building.
The conference will delve into various aspects such as global seafood trade trends, market diversification opportunities, standards, certification, regulatory cooperation, sustainability, value addition, processing, cold chain infrastructure, financing, private sector engagement, and digital transformation in fisheries and aquaculture. It will also address emerging global market dynamics, presenting growth opportunities for India through enhanced compliance with international standards and leveraging its strengths in aquaculture and processing capacity.
