Goa’s seafood export quantities have been riding an upward trajectory over the past five fiscal years. The data compiled by the Marine Products Export Development Authority indicates exports peaking in 2022-23 at 63,333 tonnes worth Rs 1,00,761 lakh, marking an increase in both quantity and value compared to the previous years. However, there was a 14% dip in volumes in 2023-24 with 55,167 tonnes of fish being exported for a value of Rs 93,420 lakh. Global challenges such as fluctuating market demands and regulatory changes may have contributed to the drop in exports, according to a retired senior principal scientist at the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO), Prof Anantha Serenade. The improvements in domestic consumption of seafood products could be another factor, Sreepada said.
“In the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, consumer preferences are rapidly changing and as a result the product profile is also changing,” Sreepada said. “So, the minimum quantity of particular items in the overall seafood basket to be shipped may have come down.” Sreepada added, “There is a need to cater to the changing consumer preferences of seafood products to overcome the gap of 14%.”
Maulana Ibrahim, the president of Seafood Exporters Association of India (Goa region), attributed the falling export volumes to geopolitics. “Despite a very good landing of cephalopods last year, the export market faced challenges due to the ongoing wars in Gaza and Ukraine, and a broader financial crisis globally,” he said.
From Goa, cephalopod variants such as cuttlefish and squids are exported. Cuttlefish production has shown steady growth, reaching 2,252 tonnes in 2023 from 1,846 tonnes in 2022. Yet, frozen cuttlefish exports slid from 1,265 tonnes worth Rs 3,813 lakh in 2018-19 to 600 tonnes valued at Rs 192 lakh in 2023-24. However, exports of frozen squids have not mirrored this growth pattern, with quantities escalating from 5,746 tonnes worth Rs 12,216 lakh in 2018-19 to 18,399 tonnes worth Rs 7,852 lakh in 2023-24.
“The price of squids has plummeted by 35% this year. We therefore did not make an impressive profit on squids,” Ibrahim said. He added that after the pandemic, export numbers have drastically reduced. “European countries, traditionally the major buyers, have reduced their imports from 100 containers of cephalopods to 50-60 containers,” he said. “Our industry is entirely labour-oriented so there is a need for export incentives, subsidies, and policy reforms to stimulate growth and competitiveness.” As for frozen fresh fish, the category has witnessed a substantial expansion, growing from 24,289 tonnes valued at Rs 33,843 lakh in 2018-19 to 60,949 tonnes worth Rs 40,487 lakh in 2023-24. The export figures for frozen shrimp were 1,908 tonnes valued at Rs 7,392 lakh in 2018-19; the numbers jumped to 19,015 tonnes valued at Rs 5,035 lakh in 2022-23.