India’s exports of marine and agricultural and processed food products including tea, coffee, species, grapes, gherkins and cucumber to European Union (EU) is expected to get a major boost with the proposed abolition of prevailing tariff up to 26%
With preferential market access and abolition of current duties on seafood in the range of 4.2% to 7.5% , India’s marine products exports to the union may double form around $1 billion now in a couple of years after the deal comes into force.
This has come as a welcome reprieve for the seafood exporters who had been hit by high tariffs imposed by the US, India’s largest export destination for marine products shipment, exporters said.
However, sensitive sectors like dairy, cereals, poultry, soymeal, certain fruits and vegetables, have been kept out of the purview of trade agreement, which the government has termed “balancing export growth with domestic priorities,”.
Record Shipment Projections
KN Raghavan, Secretary General, Seafood Exporters Association of India (SEAI) noted: “We have already crossed over $ 1 billion value of exports during April-November period of FY26 and overall shipment is expected to cross a record $ 1.5 billion to EU in FY26,” Raghavan of SEAI, told FE.
The agreement is likely to boost exports of shrimp, frozen fish, and value-added seafood exports, empowering coastal communities in Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Kerala, and boost the country’s blue economy.
The commerce ministry stated that preferential market access for agricultural products like tea, coffee, spices, grapes, gherkins and cucumbers, dried onion, fresh vegetables and fruits as well as for processed food products will make Indian exporters more competitive in the EU.
Agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said “it would ensure that Indian farmers would get remunerative prices for their produce while boosting rural income as their produce would get market access in the EU,”.
While stating that the agreement will have significant impact on the agricultural and processed food sector, a commerce ministry statement said it would support agri-exporters to capture higher value in European markets and would reinforce long-term resilience through sustained livelihood and reliable income opportunities.
“This makes India a reliable player in the global market. As trade opportunities open up, it becomes imperative to demonstrate quality, understand the origin of food, and ensure that sustainable practices are adopted,” Vinay Nair, founder, Khetibuddy, an agri-tech startup said.
Key Beneficiary Industries
“The biggest beneficiaries are garments (around 12% tariffs) and footwear (8–15%), along with marine products, gems and jewellery, handicrafts, chemicals and machinery,” Ajay Srivastava, GTRI said.
The major markets for Indian marine products shipments in the EU are Belgium, Spain, and Italy. The agreement is also expected to enhance market access to other markets, including Norway and Switzerland.
Under the agreement, India will also move to zero tariffs on a wide range of agri-food and consumer products—such as sheep meat, fruit juices, bakery items, pasta, chocolate and pet food imported from the EU.
Imports of a few products – apples, pears, peaches, kiwi fruit – from the EU are subject to tariff rate quota (TRQs). The seafood exports to the EU in FY25 were valued at $ 1.12 billion, and key export items included frozen shrimp, cuttlefish, and squid.
The EU countries imported marine products valued at $ 67.84 billion during 2024, of which India’s share was 1.50% only.
“India has significant potential to improve the exports of frozen shrimp, frozen cephalopods, other prepared and preserved value-added products of shrimps, Tuna, etc,” the official said. Last year, the EU had approved 102 additional marine product units from India taking total units that have been listed with the EU to 604.