India preparing to ship 40,000 tonnes of shrimp to US after tariff pause

India's seafood exporters are preparing to ship 35,000-40,000 tonnes of shrimp to the United States with orders remaining stable after US President Donald Trump paused a planned 26 per cent reciprocal tariff, reducing the duty to 10 per cent, industry officials said on Monday.

"There is a lot of relief now as we are at par with other exporters to the US. Now the shipments that were held back will be processed," Seafood Exporters Association of India Secretary General K N Raghavan told PTI.

About 2,000 containers of shrimp that had been delayed are now being readied for export following Trump's April 9 decision to pause the higher tariffs just one week after announcing them on April 2, he said.

The temporary reprieve maintains a 10 per cent blanket tariff on all countries except China, which faces a 145 per cent duty.

Currently, Indian shrimp exports to the US face an effective customs duty of 17.7 per cent, including 5.7 per cent in countervailing duties and 1.8 per cent in anti-dumping duty.

Industry sources explained that Indian exporters typically bear tariff costs under delivery duty-paid arrangements, meaning previously contracted shipments would have faced significant additional expenses under the higher tariff.

"The 90-day pause provides exporters the opportunity to fulfil these orders without the extra cost," an industry representative said.

The association reported no drop in orders from the United States, which remains India's largest shrimp market both in volume and value. India exported shrimp worth $2.7 billion to the US in the 2023-24 fiscal year.

Raghavan urged the government to focus on securing a "level-playing field" for the country's seafood exports during upcoming trade talks before the tariff pause expires.