The export value of fish, shrimp and other seafood items from Odisha to the Middle East region declined by 14.57 per cent in 2025-26, resulting in a loss of approximately Rs 23.40 crore compared to the previous year’s export earnings, a minister told the state Assembly on Wednesday.
According to data received from the Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA), the export value of fish, shrimp, and other seafood from Odisha to the Middle East region declined by 14.57 per cent in the financial year 2025-26, Fisheries and Animal Resources Development Minister Gokulananda Mallik informed the Assembly.
While replying to a query by BJD legislator Pratap Keshari Deb, the minister said the state has reported a loss of approximately Rs 23.40 crore in export of seafood items to the Middle East during 2025-26 compared to the previous year’s export earnings.
The value of Odisha’s total seafood exports increased by Rs 763.94 crore during 2025-26 over the previous year, according to the minister’s reply.
The figures indicate that while geopolitical disruptions in the Middle East affected Odisha’s seafood trade with the region, the state’s overall marine products export earnings registered growth during the year.
Odisha is among India’s major seafood-producing states, with shrimp and other marine products forming a significant part of its export basket. The Middle East is an important overseas market for Indian seafood products, and disruptions caused by regional conflicts can affect shipments, demand and trade flows.
The minister’s reply, however, showed that the decline in exports to the war-affected Middle East region did not translate into a fall in Odisha’s overall seafood export value, which rose by 16.36% during 2025-26.
PTI
