India's seafood exports to US set to rebound after tariff cut to 18%: SEAI

India's seafood exports to the United States are expected to recover, following months of declining shipments, after Washington agreed to cut tariffs to 18 per cent from 25 per cent, the Seafood Exporters Association of India (SEAI) said on Tuesday.

Fish exports to the US fell 15 per cent by volume to 201,501 tonnes in the April-November period of the current fiscal year, while value declined 6.3 per cent to $1.72 billion from $1.84 billion a year earlier, SEAI General Secretary K N Raghavan said.

"The field has become level again, exports should get the boost," Raghavan told PTI.

"We expect that with tariffs coming down to 18 per cent, we should get back to the previous levels."  The decline came after the US imposed 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods in August 2025 - the highest for any Asian country - including a 25 per cent penalty linked to India's purchase of Russian oil.

During the period of elevated tariffs, Indian exporters were fulfilling existing contracts, but new orders had stalled due to uncertainty over rates, Raghavan said.

Buyers held shipments in customs-bonded warehouses and released them as needed.

US President Donald Trump announced the trade deal with India on Monday, easing tensions between the world's largest democracy and its top trading partner.

The US is India's largest seafood export destination after China and the European Union. Frozen fish accounts for 83 per cent of total exports.

Raghavan declined to comment on concerns about policy uncertainty, calling tariff decisions "geopolitical and geostrategic" matters decided at the highest levels of government.

"This bringing down of tariffs is a very positive development, and hopefully it should continue," he said.