After a relatively stable first half of the year, India’s shrimp exports contracted sharply in August 2025. Total export volume reached 56,712 MT, down 9 % year-on-year, while export value declined to $408 million, 4 % lower than a year earlier. Despite this setback, cumulative exports from January to August remained slightly positive at +1 % in volume (471,441 MT) and +10 % in value ($3.35 billion)—reflecting firmer prices and stronger value-added sales earlier in the year.
Products
Exports of raw Litopenaeus vannamei fell sharply to 40,250 MT, 15 % below last year’s level and the weakest monthly performance since February. Year-to-date vannamei exports now stand 2 % lower than in 2024.
By contrast, raw Penaeus monodon exports continued their remarkable recovery, surging to 6,591 MT in August—76 % higher than the same month last year and the strongest monthly figure in several years. Cumulative monodon exports for January–August reached 17,749 MT, up 5 % year-on-year. The share of P. monodon in India’s total shrimp export mix rose to nearly 12 % for August. China’s demand this year is especially remarkable, as the country has so far imported more than double the amount from last year. In August 2025, China represented 60% of all imports vs only 24% in August 2024. This confirms the comments of EU buyers who feel currently outcompeted by Chinese buyers, who have strong demand and offer competitive prices for head-on shell-on products.
Value-added shrimp shipments, which had expanded consistently throughout 2025, eased to 5,403 MT, 10 % below last year’s level. Even so, year-to-date value-added exports are up 27 %, confirming a structural shift among Indian processors toward higher-margin, cooked, breaded, and marinated products.
Markets
The United States, traditionally India’s anchor market, imported just 16,495 MT in August—43 % below last year—as reciprocal tariffs came into effect in August and sharply eroded competitiveness.
Meanwhile, China imported 12,190 MT, a 33% increase, replacing some of the drop in shipments to the US and the EU, which sustained strong growth with 11,083 MT, up 58%. Exports to Japan (4,220 MT, -20 %) softened after several strong months, while Canada (2,355 MT, +6 %) held steady. These numbers support the claims of several of India’s major processors that they are working hard to diversify their markets, with the EU, China, and Canada being their first go-to markets.
In terms of year-to-date, China is still 3% behind 2024, the EU is 31% ahead, Japan is 1% behind, and Canada is 8% ahead.
Outlook
August marks a turning point in India’s 2025 shrimp export trajectory. The collapse in U.S. volumes underscores the immediate impact of new trade barriers. At the same time, the steady expansion of monodon exports to China and the EU offers a glimpse of strategic diversification. Whether these emerging markets can fully offset losses in the U.S. will determine if India can maintain overall export growth in the final months of the year.
Byte in Numbers
Total Shrimp Exports (HS 030617, HS 160521, HS 160529)
- Volume
- Jan: 49,058 MT = -3% YoY
- Feb: 45,487 MT = -11% YoY
- Mar: 60,113 MT = +14% YoY
- Apr: 52,475 MT = +0% YoY
- May: 71,885 MT = +15% YoY
- Jun: 67,184 MT = +1% YoY
- Jul: 68,527 MT = -2% YoY
- Aug: 56,712 MT = -9% YoY
- YTD (Jan–Aug): 471,441 MT = +1% YoY
- Value
- Jan: $355 million = +9% YoY
- Feb: $328 million = -1% YoY
- Mar: $427 million = +26% YoY
- Apr: $367 million = +9% YoY
- May: $503 million = +24% YoY
- Jun: $469 million = +10% YoY
- Jul: $491 million = +7% YoY
- Aug: $408 million = -4% YoY
- YTD (Jan–Aug): $3,347 million = +10% YoY
Products
- Raw L. vannamei (HS 03061720)
- Jan: 35,766 MT = -8% YoY
- Feb: 33,262 MT = -15% YoY
- Mar: 46,580 MT = +14% YoY
- Apr: 42,183 MT = -2% YoY
- May: 59,241 MT = +14% YoY
- Jun: 56,157 MT = -0% YoY
- Jul: 54,970 MT = -5% YoY
- Aug: 40,250 MT = -15% YoY
- YTD (Jan–Aug): 368,410 MT = -2% YoY
- Raw P. monodon (HS 03061740)
- Jan: 2,425 MT = -0% YoY
- Feb: 1,230 MT = -47% YoY
- Mar: 1,444 MT = -28% YoY
- Apr: 1,153 MT = -31% YoY
- May: 1,199 MT = -34% YoY
- Jun: 900 MT = -36% YoY
- Jul: 2,807 MT = +88% YoY
- Aug: 6,591 MT = +76% YoY
- YTD (Jan–Aug): 17,749 MT = +5% YoY
- Value-Added (HS 160521, HS 160529)
- Jan: 5,631 MT = +38% YoY
- Feb: 6,055 MT = +31% YoY
- Mar: 6,563 MT = +41% YoY
- Apr: 4,921 MT = +27% YoY
- May: 7,341 MT = +54% YoY
- Jun: 6,764 MT = +33% YoY
- Jul: 7,012 MT = +17% YoY
- Aug: 5,403 MT = -10% YoY
- YTD (Jan–Aug): 49,691 MT = +27% YoY
- Raw Wild-Caught (HS 03061711/19/30/50/90)
- Jan: 5,236 MT = -0% YoY
- Feb: 4,939 MT = -5% YoY
- Mar: 5,525 MT = +8% YoY
- Apr: 4,218 MT = +15% YoY
- May: 4,103 MT = +12% YoY
- Jun: 3,362 MT = -3% YoY
- Jul: 3,737 MT = -22% YoY
- Aug: 4,469 MT = -19% YoY
- YTD (Jan–Aug): 35,591 MT = -3% YoY
Top 5 Markets
- USA
- Jan: 21,724 MT = +6% YoY
- Feb: 21,813 MT = -3% YoY
- Mar: 26,794 MT = +32% YoY
- Apr: 22,651 MT = +14% YoY
- May: 32,810 MT = +28% YoY
- Jun: 26,627 MT = +5% YoY
- Jul: 27,517 MT = -10% YoY
- Aug: 16,495 MT = -43% YoY
- YTD (Jan–Aug): 196,430 MT = +1% YoY
- China
- Jan: 5,247 MT = -45% YoY
- Feb: 5,112 MT = -40% YoY
- Mar: 10,908 MT = +13% YoY
- Apr: 10,286 MT = -12% YoY
- May: 17,337 MT = +20% YoY
- Jun: 16,187 MT = -5% YoY
- Jul: 12,092 MT = +5% YoY
- Aug: 12,190 MT = +33% YoY
- YTD (Jan–Aug): 89,359 MT = -3% YoY
- EU
- Jan: 7,303 MT = +21% YoY
- Feb: 7,537 MT = +27% YoY
- Mar: 8,297 MT = +17% YoY
- Apr: 7,822 MT = +36% YoY
- May: 8,060 MT = +24% YoY
- Jun: 8,488 MT = +33% YoY
- Jul: 10,780 MT = +32% YoY
- Aug: 11,083 MT = +58% YoY
- YTD (Jan–Aug): 69,370 MT = +31% YoY
- Japan
- Jan: 2,299 MT = -14% YoY
- Feb: 2,005 MT = -9% YoY
- Mar: 3,210 MT = +46% YoY
- Apr: 2,435 MT = +35% YoY
- May: 3,152 MT = +8% YoY
- Jun: 3,322 MT = -11% YoY
- Jul: 4,512 MT = +0% YoY
- Aug: 4,220 MT = -20% YoY
- YTD (Jan–Aug): 25,154 MT = -1% YoY
- Canada
- Jan: 1,399 MT = -17% YoY
- Feb: 1,566 MT = -15% YoY
- Mar: 2,303 MT = +29% YoY
- Apr: 2,059 MT = +27% YoY
- May: 1,809 MT = +20% YoY
- Jun: 1,798 MT = +19% YoY
- Jul: 2,128 MT = +3% YoY
- Aug: 2,355 MT = +6% YoY
- YTD (Jan–Aug): 15,415 MT = +8% YoY
