According to a spike in the shipments of frozen prawns, India’s seafood exports increased by 4.31 percent to USD 8.09 billion in 2022–23, the commerce ministry reported on Wednesday.

Exports climbed in volume from 13,69,264 tonnes in 2021–2022 to 17,35,286 tonnes in the most recent fiscal year.

According to the report, the USA and China emerged as India’s top seafood importers and frozen prawns continued to be the country’s biggest export in terms of both number and value.

In 2022–2023, frozen prawn exports climbed to USD 5.48 billion. The industry represents roughly 41% of India’s overall seafood exports in terms of volume.

According to the government, the US has the largest frozen prawn market, followed by China, the European Union, South East Asia, Japan, and the Middle East.

The exports of black tigers, prawns, frozen fish, frozen octopus, canned goods, and frozen lobster also increased significantly.

The US remained to be the largest importer of Indian seafood in terms of value, with imports totaling USD 263 billion in the previous fiscal year, it was further said.

Due to weak demand, exports to the US fell by 21.94% in dollar terms, according to the report.