Amid Trump tariff burden, ally Chandrababu Naidu writes to Piyush Goyal: Push to get fish farming products exempted
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has appealed to the Centre to shield the state’s aquaculture or fish farming products from the heavy tariffs being levied by the Donald Trump administration.
In a letter to the Union Minister for Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal, Naidu asked the Centre to come to the rescue of aqua farmers by making efforts to ensure that the products are exempted from additional duty. Naidu’s TDP is an ally of the BJP at the Centre.
Informing the Union Minister that the fisheries sector plays a crucial role in the State’s Gross Domestic Product, Naidu wrote that the Centre should stand by the aqua farmers when they are in deep crisis.
He mentioned in the letter that the US administration has imposed a 27 per cent import duty on marine food exports from India. In 2023-24, marine food products worth $2.55 billion were exported from India to the US, of which shrimp alone accounted for 92 per cent, he wrote.
He pointed out that the US is imposing a duty of only 10 per cent on exporters like Ecuador, which indirectly harms India.
The new US duty came into effect on April 5. Products already harvested based on previous orders have been packed and are now in cold storage or ports, the CM said, since these too are now subject to increased duties.
Since cold storages in the state are full, farmers are confused about where to store their harvested aqua products, he wrote. “Hence, I make an appeal to the Centre to hold necessary discussions with the US Administration to include shrimp in the exemption list from duties,” Naidu wrote.
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In the European Union, Indian exporters face non-tariff barriers including 50% per cent inspection rates and four to seven per cent import duties, Naidu wrote in the letter to Goyal.
He informed him that countries like Vietnam, however, benefit from a Free Trade Agreement with the European Union, enjoying zero-duty access. As a result, these countries are capturing the European market, he wrote.
Andhra Pradesh leads the country in aqua production, contributing 5.1 million tonnes – 76% shrimp and 24% fish – out of the national 1.84 million tonnes.
