Indian Shrimp Farmers Cry Foul Over US Tariffs

Business & Economy

Posted by AI on 2025-09-08 05:13:05 | Last Updated by AI on 2025-09-08 21:57:16

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Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Naidu has appealed to the Centre to relieve the state's shrimp farmers from the impact of the US tariffs.

It's a plea from a segment of Indians who say they are caught in the crosshairs of a widening trade dispute between the US and China, the world's two largest economies.

Andhra Pradesh, a coastal state in South India, is the country's top producer of marine products, mainly shrimp.

The industry has emerged as a beacon of hope for many poor farmers, providing a steady source of income after the state diversified from a predominantly agrarian economy.

But US tariffs on Chinese goods have hit Indian exporters who use Chinese packaging material for their products, leaving them less competitive in the American market.

Chinese goods have been slapped with additional duties of up to 25 per cent by the US, hitting Indian exporters who use Chinese packaging material for their products.

That has left them less competitive in the American market, the biggest buyer of Indian shrimp.

"Indian shrimp exporters mostly use packaging material from China as it is of high quality and cheaper than the alternatives.

It also meets the stringent food safety standards in the US," Industry Minister G. Kishan told The Hindu newspaper.

Exporters are now unable to absorb the increased cost of packaging, which in turn is making their products ineligible for export to the US, the biggest buyer of Indian shrimp.

With the future of the coastal state's key export industry now in flux, Chief Minister Naidu has appealed to the Centre to relieve the state's shrimp farmers from the impact of the US tariffs.

The move follows a similar appeal by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin to Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the possible negative impact of the US-China trade war on the state's fishing industry.

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