The Marine Seafood Export Supply Chain in India

The document examines the Indian marine seafood export supply chain, highlighting a stark divide between sophisticated exporters and marginalized fishermen. It finds that while EU and U.S. process regulations like HACCP have improved industry organization, product regulations often act as non-tariff barriers. The author argues that sustainability initiatives, such as the Marine Stewardship Council label, are currently unviable in India due to the multi-species nature of the fisheries and the lack of infrastructure and education at the bottom of the supply chain. Recommendations focus on a 'bottom-up' approach, including the promotion of fishermen cooperatives and basic hygiene training.

• The Indian seafood export supply chain is characterized by a significant disparity in sophistication and income distribution, with exporters acting as price setters and receiving the largest share of the final export price (40–50%), while fishermen bear all the risk and receive 25–35%.
• Infrastructure at the bottom of the supply chain is severely inadequate; beach landing centres are often unhygienic, and fishermen use ice made from unclean water and unprocessed salt, which increases contamination risks.
• Government support is heavily skewed toward exporters rather than fishermen; for example, among 40 MPEDA schemes, only one targets fishermen, providing a maximum of 30% investment assistance capped at Rs. 50,000.
• The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) label is deemed unviable for the Indian context because Indian fisheries are multi-species, whereas MSC requires certification based on specific species.
• U.S. and EU process regulations, specifically the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) system, have generally helped the Indian seafood industry become more organized and process-oriented.
• EU and U.S. product regulations are viewed negatively by exporters as they are often based on 'precautionary principles' rather than actual safety concerns, with the EU's 'zero tolerance' policy on antibiotic residues leading to frequent rejections of shrimp products.
• Heavy-metal residue (such as mercury, cadmium, and lead) has emerged as a primary future concern for exports, exacerbated by bioaccumulation and inadequate environmental monitoring in India.
• Coastal over-fishing in India has led to a significant decline in specific catches; for example, pomfret catch levels in Maharashtra dropped from 16,000 kilograms in 1990 to 3,000 kilograms in 2004.

APA

Kulkarni, P. (2005). The Marine Seafood Export Supply Chain in India. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/tkn_marine_export_india.pdf

Chicago

Kulkarni, Parashar. The Marine Seafood Export Supply Chain in India. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2005. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/tkn_marine_export_india.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Kulkarni |first1=Parashar |title=The Marine Seafood Export Supply Chain in India |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=December 2005 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/tkn_marine_export_india.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{kulkarni2005marine, author = {Kulkarni, Parashar}, title = {{The Marine Seafood Export Supply Chain in India}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2005}, month = dec, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/tkn_marine_export_india.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }