Forced Transformation Driven by U.S. High Tariffs: India’s White Shrimp Exports to Russia Rise to 40%, Nellore’s Aquaculture Revives

In August 2025, the U.S. imposed nearly 60% comprehensive tariffs on Indian seafood, including anti-dumping duties, countervailing duties, and a 50% "reciprocal tariff". Prior to this, the U.S. accounted for 48% of India’s shrimp exports—nearly half of the total $5 billion in exports during the 2024-2025 fiscal year. This directly led to a drop in the area of shrimp ponds in Nellore from 80,000 acres to 40,000 acres, with processing plants shutting down and thousands of workers losing their jobs.

A turnaround came from the Russian market: the proportion of India’s white shrimp exports to Russia soared from 10% to 40%, stabilizing white shrimp prices and driving Nellore’s recovery. Local processing plants (e.g., one factory that had laid off workers now expects to resume full operations thanks to Russian orders) and farmers (such as P. Ramu, who restarted shrimp seed stocking) resumed production. The eight major processing plants drive employment for thousands of people, including 3,000 migrant workers.

The Indian government has promoted market diversification, calling for the expansion of markets in the EU, China, Japan, South Korea, and Russia. It has also collaborated with seedling factories and farmers to improve shrimp seed quality and strengthen disease prevention and control. Industry insiders believe this "forced shift" may become a key turning point for India’s shrimp industry in the next decade, helping it move from single-market export to global diversified supply.