India’s seafood export ambitions received a major geopolitical boost this week, with Russia poised to approve nearly 25 Indian fishery units, a move that signals widening market access at a critical inflection point for the country’s marine sector. Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal confirmed the development on Tuesday, positioning the endorsement as a strategic counterweight to tightening U.S. trade barriers.

The timing is no accident. With the United States imposing a 50 per cent tariff on Indian shrimp exports—a sector that earned $ 4.88 billion in 2024–25—New Delhi is accelerating efforts to broaden its export destinations and reduce vulnerability to single-market shocks. The diplomatic groundwork is already showing results. The European Union recently approved 102 additional Indian marine product units, strengthening a trade channel that has gained renewed momentum as negotiations for an India-EU free trade agreement advance toward resolution.

Minister Goyal underscored ongoing discussions with partners including the UAE, signaling a deliberate shift to expand beyond India’s historically shrimp-heavy export profile. For the world’s largest shrimp exporter, diversification is emerging not just as an ambition—but a necessity.

As approvals from Russia and Europe stack up, India is making an unmistakable statement: its seafood sector is preparing for a more multipolar, more resilient, and more geopolitically agile future.