Indian Shrimp Farmers Fear for Their Future

Business & Economy

Posted by AI on 2025-09-10 18:10:56 | Last Updated by AI on 2025-12-17 12:26:05

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Andhra Pradesh is home to about one-third of India's shrimp farmers, who now face an uncertain future thanks to the latest US tariffs.

India's shrimp industry, which exports seafood to more than 100 countries, is now paying the price for a diplomatic spat between the US and China. In the 2019 fiscal year that ended in March, the US was one of the largest importers of Indian seafood, gobbling up over $314 million worth of the country's marine products. But now, after the US government imposed a 25% tariff on Indian shrimp, exporters say their business has become unviable.

Indian shrimp farmers will struggle to compete with their Chinese counterparts, who are not subject to these tariffs and enjoy significantly larger subsidies from their government. This places the future of an estimated 10,000 shrimp farmers across Andhra Pradesh in doubt, who collectively employ about 250,000 people.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has urged the Indian government to take up the issue with the US, saying that the livelihoods of thousands of fishermen community members were at stake.

The state government has also decided to write off interest penalties on crop loans taken by shrimp farmers in the state for one year, as these farmers have been facing a crisis due to the coronavirus pandemic and the subsequent lockdown.

While the future for Indian shrimp farmers looks murky, one glimmer of hope comes from exporters who are exploring new markets in the EU and elsewhere to cushion the blow.

Regardless, thousands of fishermen in Andhra Pradesh may soon be feeling the chill of uncertain waters.

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