Southeast Asia, led by the Asean bloc, has in the past decade emerged as a major market for Indian seafood exports.
"In fact, China's influence on the Indian seafood industry has been on the wane as exports to Southeast Asian countries are surging, thanks to various Indo-Asean trade agreements signed in recent years. We expect Asean to emerge as a powerful influence in exports to Southeast Asia during fiscal 2013, and China's share of Indian exports to fall by at least 2%," said a senior Mpeda official.
Asean comprises Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Under a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the bloc in 2009, it was decided to eliminate duty on 80% of the goods imported into these countries by 2013. The agreement came into effect in January 2010, and the original 30% tariff on Indian imports into Asean is proposed to be brought down to zero by 2014.
"Presently, the tariff on imports is around 10%; as this is lowered further, Southeast Asia, in particular the Asean bloc, will become our biggest market. This is clearly an advantage for Indian seafood exporters," the Mpeda official said.
In the April-December period of 2011, Southeast Asia emerged as the largest market for Indian seafood exports with a share of 25.8% in US dollar realization and 39.6% in quantity. Exports to Southeast Asia posted 43.2% growth in quantity, 103.7% in rupee value and 96% in US dollar realization. Meanwhile, China accounted for just 7.1% of Indian exports during the period, with a sharp decline in quality and value terms.
The surge in exports to the Southeast Asian region has been attributed to shortage of raw material in the Asean bloc. "The successive import duty reductions under the new FTA regime will have a marginal, though significant, impact in increasing exports to Asean going forward. But I doubt if shrimp, our biggest export item to the Southeast Asian region, will benefit from the import duty reduction. But cuttle fish and squid exports stand to gain," said Abad Fisheries MD Anwar Hashim.
Further, sources said that direct exports to China are now below 10%, and a majority of India's exports to China are routed through Asean nations like Thailand and the Phillippines for reprocessing. "Any embargo by China on Indian exports for whatever reason, would not be a death blow to Indian seafood exports, though it can have some negative impact," exporters said.
As per Mpeda, China had a 21% share of India's total marine products export worldwide with Indian seafood exports to China in fiscal 2011 touching Rs 1,978 crore. Fiscal 2012 numbers are awaited next month.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Nearly US$1.7 billion is the projected gap in 2029 between the baseline scenario and a scenario in which Vietnam’s seafood exports grow by 10% annually, according to calculations by VASEP to be presented at Vietnam Seafood Summit 2026. This gap raises a key question for the entire industry: Which markets, products and supply chain improvements will generate the additional growth?
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Although Germany’s tuna imports have declined, Vietnam’s tuna exports to the market continue to show positive signs. Notably, export value recovered strongly in Q3/2026, and German import data also show Vietnamese products strengthening their position amid competition among suppliers.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Seafood exports are holding double-digit growth, but the opportunities are not spread evenly across product groups and markets. As businesses draw up their plans for 2027, Vietnam Seafood Summit 2026 (VSS2026) offers a chance to look ahead together: what to sell, where to sell it, and how to prepare for growth in the coming years.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) With less than two weeks to go, the Vietnam Seafood Summit 2026 (VSS 2026) will officially take place in Can Tho. Under the theme “Seafood Market Outlook 2027–2029 – Opportunities and Potential for Double-Digit Export Growth,” the Summit is organized by VASEP at a time when seafood businesses are facing rapid market shifts, changing buyer demand, trade policy changes and growing competitive pressure all at once.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) On October 28, 2026, the China Fisheries & Seafood Expo opened in Qingdao, China. The expo takes place over three days from October 28 to 30, 2026. This is a prestigious specialized seafood exhibition organized annually by Sea Fare Exposition Inc.
(vasep.com.vn) In the first nine months of 2026, Vietnam’s tilapia exports to the CPTPP bloc reached $7 million, marking a 51% year-on-year increase. The bloc rstands as the fourth-largest market for Vietnamese tilapia, trailing Brazil, the US, and Saudi Arabia.
(vasep.com.vn) VASEP has officially announced the program for Vietnam Seafood Summit 2026 (VSS 2026), featuring five in-depth sessions covering industry outlooks, trade barriers, buyer demand, the domestic market, and solutions to improve productivity and reduce costs across the seafood value chain.
(vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s shrimp exports reached US$3.7 billion in the first nine months of 2026, up 11% year on year. Although growth has been supported by China and several markets within the CPTPP, momentum is slowing as exports to the United States and the European Union decline. Tariff pressures, international competition, and raw material challenges are creating significant hurdles for exporters in the final months of the year.
(vasep.com.vn) Markets are changing faster, buyer requirements are becoming more demanding, and trade barriers are growing increasingly complex. In this environment, seafood businesses need more than an understanding of current market conditions. They need a longer-term perspective to answer a critical question: Where will growth opportunities come from in 2027–2029, and what should businesses do now to prepare? This is one of the key reasons why VASEP is organizing Vietnam Seafood Summit 2026.
(vasep.com.vn) In the first eight months of 2026, Vietnam’s pangasius exports to the Middle East reached US$113 million, up 7% year on year from the same period in 2025. Growth has become more pronounced in recent months. In August alone, exports to the region totaled US$20 million, an increase of 24%. This indicates that demand for Vietnamese pangasius in the Middle East is gradually recovering after a slowdown in March, although the pace of recovery varies across markets.
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