India is one of the world's largest fish producers and top exporter of fish and fish products to all the major developed markets of the world such as US, Europe, South East Asia, Japan, and the Middle East. The sector contributes 1.1% of India's GDP and 5.2% of the share of agriculture's GDP of India. India's buoyant seafood industry has emerged as the largest group in agricultural exports of the country. With a series of government initiatives and policy support, The Marine Products Exports Development Authority (MPEDA), forecasts that India will achieve an export target of USD 10 billion by 2022.

The country holds a huge potential for fisheries with a long coastline spanning about 8,129 km in addition to inland water resources (rivers and canals, reservoirs, ponds, tanks, and brackish water). The Indian seafood industry is an important sector of food production, providing nutritional security (such as protein, healthy fats and other nutrients like long-chain omega-3 fatty acids, iodine, vitamin D, and calcium) contributing to agricultural exports, and deploying about fourteen million people across different activities such as harvesting, processing, packaging and distribution.

India, a Potential Market According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), India accounts for approximately 6% share in global fish production and a 7% share in global aquaculture1 fish production. It is projected that fish production of the country will reach over 13.4 million MT by 2030 from 10.8 million MT in 2016. In terms of trade, it is expected that it will grow at 61.2% through 2016 – 2030, with exports rising from 1.6 million MT in 2016 to 1.7 million MT in 2030.

During 2016-17, the share of inland fish farming reached almost 67% of India's fish production. Currently, the share of inland fishery2 production in India exceeds the marine3 production, with Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Gujrat, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu being the top five states for inland fishery production.

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