PMMSY and FIDF support 184 fishing harbours and landing centres, 775 cold storages and ice plants, and 28,489 fish transportation units as India expands value-added seafood exports

Key Highlights

• ₹20,750 crore outlay under PMMSY for fisheries and aquaculture development.
• 184 fishing harbours and fish landing centres approved under PMMSY and FIDF.
• 775 cold storages and ice plants and 28,489 fish transportation units supported.
• India exported 19.72 lakh metric tonnes of marine products worth ₹73,890 crore (US$8.46 billion) in 2025-26.
• Marine products reached more than 128 countries.
• Share of value-added seafood exports increased from 2% in 2013-14 to 11% in 2024-25.
• Government is promoting high-value aquaculture species including seabass, cobia, pompano, mud crab, grouper, GIFT tilapia, scampi and seaweed.

Fisheries Infrastructure Gets Major Government Push

India is strengthening its fisheries and seafood value chain through investments in infrastructure, cold storage, transportation, aquaculture and export-oriented facilities under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) and Fisheries and Aquaculture Infrastructure Development Fund (FIDF).

The Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, is implementing PMMSY with a total outlay of ₹20,750 crore from FY2020-21 for the development of fisheries and aquaculture across States and Union Territories.

The latest details were provided by Union Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh in the Lok Sabha.

184 Fishing Harbours and Landing Centres Supported

PMMSY and FIDF are supporting a broad range of fisheries infrastructure, including fishing harbours, fish landing centres, markets, cold storage facilities, ice plants, hatcheries and brood banks.

Among the infrastructure approved under the two programmes are:

• 184 fishing harbours and fish landing centres
• 775 cold storages and ice plants
• 1,394 live fish vending units
• 6,018 fish kiosks
• 117 retail fish markets
• 24 wholesale fish markets
• 28,489 fish transportation units

The transportation infrastructure includes 13,718 motorcycles with ice boxes, 8,527 bicycles with ice boxes, 4,257 auto-rickshaws, 1,577 insulated trucks and 410 refrigerated trucks.

The expansion of this infrastructure is aimed at reducing post-harvest losses, improving fish quality and connecting producers with domestic and export markets.

India’s Seafood Exports Reach ₹73,890 Crore

Despite rising tariff barriers and changes in global trade patterns, India’s marine product exports reached 19.72 lakh metric tonnes in 2025-26, valued at ₹73,890 crore or US$8.46 billion.

Indian marine products were exported to more than 128 countries.

The United States remained India’s largest export market, followed by China, the European Union, Southeast Asia, Japan and the Middle East.

A notable structural shift has also taken place in the seafood export basket. The share of value-added products increased from 2% in 2013-14 to 11% in 2024-25, indicating a gradual move beyond exports of relatively less-processed seafood.

Government Targets Wider Seafood Export Markets

The government is working with the Department of Commerce, Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) and the Export Inspection Council to diversify India’s seafood export markets.

Initiatives include:

• Stakeholder consultations and awareness programmes on trade agreements such as the India-UK Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA).
• Workshops and Chintan Shivirs focused on seafood value addition.
• International trade fairs and trade delegations.
• Buyer-Seller Meets and Reverse Buyer-Seller Meets.
• Engagement with Indian Missions abroad.
• Round-table meetings with embassies and high commissions of potential trading partners.

The objective is to identify new markets while strengthening India’s position in existing seafood destinations.

High-Value Aquaculture Gets Greater Focus

The government is also encouraging diversified aquaculture under PMMSY to improve India’s global competitiveness.

The species being promoted include seabass, cobia, pompano, mud crab, GIFT tilapia, grouper, Penaeus monodon, scampi and seaweed.

Alongside species diversification, the fisheries department is focusing on value addition, biosecurity, quality compliance, automation and research and development.

India is also working with importing countries on sanitary and phytosanitary requirements, export certification and market-access barriers while strengthening laboratories, residue monitoring and quality-control systems.

Fisheries Growth Could Strengthen Hospitality Seafood Supply Chains

The infrastructure expansion has implications well beyond the fisheries sector.

For hotels, restaurants and foodservice companies, greater cold-chain capacity, refrigerated transportation and modern landing infrastructure can improve access to fresher and more consistent seafood.

The growth of value-added seafood exports could also encourage greater investment in processing, ready-to-cook products, premium seafood and specialised cold-chain logistics—segments that can eventually feed into the hospitality and foodservice ecosystem.

For coastal destinations, improved fishing harbours, markets and seafood infrastructure can also strengthen the link between local fishing communities, destination cuisine and culinary tourism.

Hospitality & Tourism Impact

Hotels and restaurants: Better cold-chain and transportation networks can support more reliable seafood sourcing.

Seafood dining: Greater production of high-value species could expand premium seafood offerings across hospitality markets.

Coastal tourism: Modern fishing infrastructure and local seafood markets can contribute to destination-based culinary experiences.

Food processing: Rising value-added exports create opportunities for processing, packaging and ready-to-cook seafood businesses.

Export-oriented hospitality: International demand for Indian seafood can indirectly strengthen hospitality ecosystems in major coastal production and export hubs.

Livestock Healthcare Also Gets Funding Support

The same government response highlighted parallel measures in the livestock sector. The Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying provides 100% financial assistance to States and UTs for vaccination against economically important diseases including Foot and Mouth Disease, Brucellosis, Peste des Petits Ruminants and Classical Swine Fever.

According to the government, 147.05 crore FMD vaccine doses, 3.19 crore Brucellosis doses, 6.74 crore PPR doses and 0.26 crore Classical Swine Fever doses have been administered. A further 34.62 crore doses have been administered against lumpy skin disease.

The government is also supporting 4,019 Mobile Veterinary Units across 29 States/UTs, while reported livestock disease outbreaks declined from 132 in 2019 to 40 in 2025.

Bottom Line

India’s fisheries policy is increasingly moving from simply increasing production to building an integrated seafood value chain—from fishing harbours and cold storage to processing, logistics, value addition and global markets. With marine exports already reaching ₹73,890 crore, the infrastructure push could create new opportunities for seafood businesses while strengthening India’s coastal food, hospitality and culinary tourism ecosystem.