Export of marine products from Kerala dipped for second consecutive year in 2024-25: Economic Review

The export of marine products from Kerala saw a decline in terms of quantity and value for the second consecutive fiscal in 2024-25, according to the Economic Review tabled in the State Legislative Assembly on Wednesday (January 28, 2026).

Marine exports from the State fell from 1.96 lakh metric tonnes (MT) in 2023-24 to 1.79 lakh MT in 2024-25. In terms of value, the decrease was from ₹7,231.8 crore in 2023-24 to ₹6,941.36 crore. The export volume fell by 9.5% and value by 4.18%, the Economic Review said.

“The features associated with tariff barriers, non-tariff barriers, including antibiotic rejection, biosecurity and sustainability issues, imposition of ban on wild-caught shrimps imported from India due to non-implementation of Turtle Excluder Device by the U.S. etc, are the reasons for the decrease in marine exports,” the Economic Review noted.

For the corresponding years, export of marine products from India decreased from 17.81 lakh MT to 16.98 lakh MT. However, the value of exports had risen from ₹60,523.89 crore to ₹62,408.45 crore.  

Seafood exports

Kerala is the third largest seafood exporting State in terms of quantity and second in terms of value of exports. Among the export-oriented sectors, seafood exports have especially been in the spotlight in recent times given the consequences of the U.S. reciprocal tariffs on it. For coastal Kerala, this sector remains important as it has a decisive share in India’s seafood export basket. Percentage-wise, Kerala’s share has dipped from 13.72% in 2020-21 to 10.58% in 2024-25, and from 12.86% to 11.12% in terms of value.

The Economic Review also pointed to some notable changes in export destinations and volumes in 2024-25 compared to the previous fiscal. Kerala’s export of marine products to the U.S. fell from 18,083 MT (Economic Review 2024) in 2023-24 to 17,558 MT in 2024-25 (Economic Review 2025). If China was the  largest export market for Kerala’s marine products in 2023-24, with a total export volume of 43,964 MT, it was supplanted by the European Union in 2024-25 (49,956 MT). Exports to China fell to 29,353 MT in 2024-25.

The export of marine products from Kerala had shown an increase from 2015-16 onwards. From 2020-21, when volume and value stood at 1.57 lakh MT and ₹5,623.12 crore respectively, a decline was first perceived in 2023-24. Frozen shrimp (34.51%) and frozen fish (21.66%) dominate the item-wise exports from Kerala. In 2024-25, Kerala exported 61,992 MT of frozen shrimp, and 38,915 MT of frozen fish. Other marine exports from Kerala include frozen cuttlefish (12.19%), frozen squid (14.33%) and dried items (9.08%).