Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s words that “the oceans hold the key to our future”, on the eve of his visit to China, echoed at the World Seafood Shanghai Exhibition 2025, where India marked its first-ever participation.
The India Pavilion, themed “Make in India, Made for the World,” drew strong interest from Chinese buyers and industry leaders, signalling a major push to expand India’s seafood exports in one of the world’s largest marine trade events, reported News18.
Led by the Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) in collaboration with the Consulate General of India in Shanghai, the Indian delegation showcased the country’s Maritime Economy Vision built on Blue Growth, Resilience, and Global Connectivity. MPEDA Chairman Shri DV Swamy, IAS, headed the delegation, which included over 30 leading exporters representing India’s rich diversity of seafood, from shrimp and tuna to value-added aquaculture products.
🇮🇳 Blue Economy wins Global Acclaim! 🐠 🌍 ⚡️
➡️ Inaugural Participation by India at the Shanghai World Marine Expo, the largest of its kind
➡️ highlights India’s Maritime Economy Vision: Blue Growth, Resilience, and Global Connectivity,
➡️ anchored in Hon’ble Prime Minister… pic.twitter.com/qDi4z79gcf
— India In Shanghai (@IndiaInShanghai) August 28, 2025
Pratik Mathur, Consul General of India in Shanghai, inaugurated the pavilion alongside Swamy. In his address, Mathur highlighted India’s commitment to sustainability, traceability, and technology-driven fisheries development under the vision “Jal se Jeevan, Jal se Ajeevika, Jal se Samriddhi.”
Swamy stressed the growing global appetite for Indian shrimp and tuna, while also inviting Chinese stakeholders to collaborate in areas such as smart aquaculture, cold-chain management, and digital supply chains. He said India aims to boost its seafood exports from the current US $8 billion to US $12–15 billion in the near future.
Representing the host nation, Jiang Weimin, Deputy Secretary-General of the Shanghai Fisheries Trade Association, described Shanghai as a global seafood hub and welcomed deeper maritime and trade linkages with India. Prof. Liao Zefang of Shanghai Ocean University also delivered a keynote on aquaculture modernisation in China.
The India Pavilion further engaged visitors with a seafood tasting session and a B2B buyer-seller meet, paving the way for stronger commercial ties between Indian exporters and Chinese importers.
With the US recently imposing a 50% tariff on Indian seafood, exporters see China as a critical alternative market. Industry experts believe this fresh route could provide a significant boost to India’s fisheries sector in the months ahead.
