What is MPEDA and which ministry runs it?

MPEDA — the Marine Products Export Development Authority — is a statutory autonomous body of the Government of India, constituted under the Marine Products Export Development Authority Act 1972 (Act 13 of 1972). It became operational in 1972 and functions under the Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce & Industry — the same parent department as APEDA, the Tea Board, the Coffee Board, the Spices Board and the Rubber Board. MPEDA's headquarters is at Panampilly Nagar, Kochi (Kerala), close to India's major seafood-export gateway. Its mandate is to promote the export of marine products from India by prescribing standards, providing financial assistance, developing pre-harvest and post-harvest infrastructure, running sustainable-aquaculture and quality-management programmes, and undertaking market development and trade intelligence for the seafood value chain.

Which products fall under MPEDA's mandate?

MPEDA covers the entire universe of marine and aquaculture products exported from India. The core categories are frozen shrimp (Vannamei, black tiger, scampi and other species — historically the single-largest export item by value, accounting for a majority of India's seafood export earnings), frozen fish, frozen squid and cuttlefish, frozen crab and lobster, dried and chilled marine products, live fish and shellfish, surimi and value-added seafood (breaded, ready-to-cook, ready-to-eat), fish meal and fish oil, ornamental fish, seaweed and other marine plant products, and value-added chitin / chitosan derivatives. Freshwater and brackish-water aquaculture products intended for export — carp, pangasius, tilapia, seabass, mullet, milkfish — also fall under MPEDA when they enter the export supply chain.

What registration does a seafood exporter need from MPEDA?

Every seafood exporter must obtain a Registration Certificate as Exporter of Marine Products (RCEMP) from MPEDA — this is the seafood-sector equivalent of APEDA's Registration-cum-Membership Certificate. Applications are filed online through the MPEDA portal at mpeda.gov.in with the Import Export Code (IEC) issued by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), PAN of the applicant firm, bank certificate, constitution documents (partnership deed / MoA / society deed) and the prescribed registration fee. Registration categories cover Merchant Exporter, Manufacturer Exporter (processing plants), Route-through Exporter, Fishing Vessel Owner, Farmer / Hatchery Owner and Seafood Restaurateur — with distinct documentation and fee slabs. A valid RCEMP is a pre-requisite for shipment of any marine product from India, for claiming MPEDA financial assistance and for participating in MPEDA-organised trade fairs and Buyer-Seller Meets.

What are RGCA, NETFISH and NaCSA — MPEDA's sub-bodies?

MPEDA operates through three specialised society-mode sub-bodies. RGCA (Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Aquaculture) at Sirkazhi, Tamil Nadu, is MPEDA's R&D arm for aquaculture — running SPF (Specific Pathogen Free) broodstock multiplication centres for L. vannamei shrimp, hatchery technology, seed production for scampi (M. rosenbergii), tiger shrimp, cobia, seabass, mud crab and ornamental species, and technology transfer to private hatcheries. NETFISH (Network for Fish Quality Management and Sustainable Fishing) works on fisheries extension — training fisher women and pre-harvest handlers on hygienic handling, HACCP-compliant on-board practices for fishing vessels, and quality assurance at landing centres. NaCSA (National Centre for Sustainable Aquaculture) at Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh, organises small aquaculture farmers into Aquaculture Societies, promotes Better Management Practices (BMP), disease surveillance, and cluster-based traceability for antibiotic-free and residue-compliant shrimp for export.

What financial-assistance schemes does MPEDA administer?

MPEDA operationalises Ministry of Commerce & Industry export-promotion assistance for the marine sector under several sub-schemes notified periodically in the Marine Products Export Promotion umbrella. The four broad streams are: (i) Aquaculture Development — assistance for setting up shrimp hatcheries, aquaculture ponds, RAS (Recirculating Aquaculture Systems), biofloc units, diversified species farming (scampi, seabass, cobia, ornamental fish), disease diagnostic laboratories and effluent treatment systems; (ii) Quality Upgrade / Quality Development — support for HACCP, ISO 22000, BRC, BAP and ASC certifications, laboratory equipment for antibiotic residue and heavy-metal testing, and pre-processing / processing plant modernisation; (iii) Infrastructure — support for fish landing centres, pre-processing sheds, cold storages, ice plants, insulated / refrigerated transport and integrated infrastructure at fishing harbours (co-implemented with the Department of Fisheries under PMMSY); and (iv) Market Development — assistance for participation in international seafood exhibitions (Seafood Expo Global Barcelona, Seafood Expo North America, China Fisheries & Seafood Expo, Japan International Seafood Show), Buyer-Seller Meets, product brochures, brand promotion (India Seafood brand) and market intelligence. All streams are claimed against the RCEMP.

How big is India's seafood export trade and who are the top buyers?

India is among the world's top seafood exporters. Marine product exports from India have hovered around USD 7-8 billion in recent years — for example, MPEDA's annual export review reported roughly USD 7.38 billion (about ₹60,500 crore) of marine product exports in 2022-23, with frozen shrimp alone contributing more than two-thirds of the value. The top export destinations are the United States (the single-largest market, driven by Vannamei shrimp demand), China (frozen fish and squid), the European Union (frozen and value-added shrimp and squid), Japan (frozen shrimp and value-added), and South-East Asia (Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia). Andhra Pradesh accounts for the largest share of India's cultured-shrimp production, followed by West Bengal, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Odisha and Kerala. All state / year and country-wise trade data are published in MPEDA's annual review at mpeda.gov.in and mirrored in DGCIS trade statistics.

How do farmers, processors and exporters engage with MPEDA?

The engagement path depends on the entity. An exporter — proprietor, partnership, LLP or company — first obtains an IEC from DGFT, then registers on mpeda.gov.in for the RCEMP; once registered, the exporter can claim MPEDA financial-assistance sub-schemes, participate in MPEDA-organised international seafood expos and Buyer-Seller Meets, and enrol in MPEDA quality-certification and traceability programmes. Aquaculture farmers — especially small shrimp and scampi farmers — engage through NaCSA-facilitated Aquaculture Societies, adopt Better Management Practices, subscribe to the antibiotic residue and pre-harvest testing protocol, and receive assistance for pond preparation, seed and feed as notified. Hatcheries and seed producers engage with RGCA for SPF broodstock and technology transfer. Processors (pre-processing sheds and factory-approved plants) engage with MPEDA for approval of processing establishments (jointly with the Export Inspection Council), quality-management certification support and effluent-treatment upgrade. Fishing vessel owners register with MPEDA under the Fishing Vessel Owner category, and access on-board hygienic-handling training through NETFISH.

Where are the official sources for MPEDA updates, statistics and notifications?

The authoritative sources are the MPEDA portal at mpeda.gov.in (RCEMP, financial-assistance schemes, notifications, exporter directory, annual export review, pre-shipment inspection protocols), rgca.org.in (Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Aquaculture technology, SPF broodstock, hatchery training), nacsa.mpeda.gov.in (Aquaculture Societies and Better Management Practices), netfish.mpeda.gov.in (fisher-women and pre-harvest training), the Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics (DGCIS) at dgciskol.gov.in for HS-code-level export trade data, dgft.gov.in for the Import Export Code, eic.gov.in for the Export Inspection Council (which co-certifies processing establishments for the EU and other markets) and the Press Information Bureau (PIB) for Cabinet and Ministry announcements. MPEDA's regional and sub-regional offices at Kochi (HQ), Mumbai, Chennai, Visakhapatnam, Kolkata, Bhubaneswar, Veraval and elsewhere handle exporter servicing and pre-shipment inspection referrals.

MPEDA Guide — Marine Products Export Development Authority: MPEDA Act 1972, Seafood Export Registration, RGCA / NETFISH / NaCSA Sub-Bodies, Financial Assistance Schemes and How Aquaculture Farmers, Processors and Exporters Engage

The Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) is the statutory body of the Government of India that promotes and regulates the export of marine products — the seafood-sector counterpart to APEDA. It was constituted under the Marine Products Export Development Authority Act 1972 (Act 13 of 1972) and became operational the same year, replacing the earlier Marine Products Export Promotion Council. MPEDA sits under the Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce & Industry— not the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying (which houses PMMSY). Its headquarters is at MPEDA House, Panampilly Nagar, Kochi (Kerala), a short distance from Cochin Port — India's largest seafood-export gateway — with regional and sub-regional offices at Mumbai, Chennai, Visakhapatnam, Kolkata, Bhubaneswar, Veraval and other coastal nodes. For the wider scheme portfolio see our India government schemes for farmers reference.

At a glance

Body type: statutory autonomous authority under the Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Government of India.
Constituting statute: Marine Products Export Development Authority Act 1972 (Act 13 of 1972).
Operational since: 1972.
Headquarters: MPEDA House, Panampilly Nagar, Kochi (Kerala).
Regional offices: Mumbai, Chennai, Visakhapatnam, Kolkata, Bhubaneswar, Veraval and a network of sub-regional offices along the coast.
Product mandate: the full range of marine and export-oriented aquaculture products — frozen shrimp (Vannamei, black tiger, scampi), frozen fish, squid, cuttlefish, crab, lobster, dried and chilled marine products, live fish, surimi and value-added seafood, fish meal / fish oil, ornamental fish and seaweed.
Core credential: the Registration Certificate as Exporter of Marine Products (RCEMP), mandatory for every marine-product exporter.
Sub-bodies: RGCA (Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Aquaculture, Sirkazhi), NETFISH (Network for Fish Quality Management and Sustainable Fishing) and NaCSA (National Centre for Sustainable Aquaculture, Kakinada).
India's marine product exports: around USD 7-8 billion in recent years (MPEDA reported ~USD 7.38 billion / ~₹60,500 crore in FY 2022-23); top destinations are the US, China, EU, Japan and South-East Asia.
Portals: mpeda.gov.in (authority), rgca.org.in (RGCA), dgft.gov.in (Import Export Code / Foreign Trade Policy context for RCEMP), eic.gov.in (Export Inspection Council for pre-shipment testing and EU-list approvals).

What MPEDA does — the statutory mandate

Section 9 of the MPEDA Act empowers the Authority to develop and regulate the export of marine products. In practice that translates into five streams of activity: exporter registration and standards, aquaculture development and R&D through RGCA, quality assurance and extension through NETFISH, sustainable aquaculture and farmer aggregation through NaCSA, and market development and trade intelligence. MPEDA prescribes standards for the processing, packaging and shipment of marine products; carries out registration of exporters, fishing vessels, processing plants, pre-processing centres, storage premises, hatcheries and farms; provides financial assistance for infrastructure, quality upgrade and market promotion; collects and publishes trade statistics; and organises training for fishers, fisher women, hatchery operators, farm workers and quality-control personnel.

Marine products under MPEDA's ambit

MPEDA's mandate covers the full universe of marine and export-oriented aquaculture products. The working categories are:

Frozen shrimp — the single-largest export item by value. Farmed Litopenaeus vannamei (white-leg shrimp) dominates volumes; farmed and wild-caught Penaeus monodon (black tiger), Macrobrachium rosenbergii (scampi) and other species make up the balance.
Frozen fish — ribbon fish, croaker, mackerel, threadfin bream, pomfret, seer, tuna and other species.
Frozen squid, cuttlefish and octopus (cephalopods) — a major export line to Japan, the EU and China.
Frozen crab and lobster — live and frozen exports, especially to South-East Asia.
Dried and chilled marine products — dried shrimp, anchovy, Bombay duck.
Live fish and shellfish — live crab, live lobster, live ornamental fish.
Surimi and value-added seafood — breaded, battered, ready-to-cook and ready-to-eat marine products.
Fish meal and fish oil — for aquafeed and nutraceutical markets.
Ornamental fish — freshwater and marine ornamentals.
Seaweed and marine plant products — a rapidly growing category.
Chitin, chitosan and other marine derivatives — high-value biopolymer exports.

Registration Certificate as Exporter of Marine Products (RCEMP)

The Registration Certificate as Exporter of Marine Products (RCEMP)is the entry ticket to MPEDA's ecosystem — the seafood-sector counterpart of APEDA's RCMC. Every person or firm exporting marine products from India must register with MPEDA and obtain an RCEMP. Applications are filed online on mpeda.gov.in with these core documents:

Import Export Code (IEC) issued by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) at dgft.gov.in.
PAN of the applicant firm.
Bank certificate and cancelled cheque.
Constitution documents — MoA / AoA / partnership deed / society or trust deed as applicable.
Prescribed registration fee.

Registration is available in distinct categories — Merchant Exporter, Manufacturer Exporter (a processing plant approved by the Export Inspection Council for the EU / US / other lists), Route-through Exporter, Fishing Vessel Owner, Farmer / Hatchery Owner and Seafood Restaurateur — each with its own documentation slab. The RCEMP is a pre-requisite for shipping any marine consignment, for claiming any MPEDA financial- assistance sub-scheme, and for participating in MPEDA-organised international seafood exhibitions and Buyer-Seller Meets.

The three sub-bodies — RGCA, NETFISH and NaCSA

RGCA — Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Aquaculture

The Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Aquaculture (RGCA) at Sirkazhi in Nagapattinam district, Tamil Nadu, is MPEDA's R&D and technology-transfer arm for aquaculture. RGCA operates SPF (Specific Pathogen Free) broodstock multiplication centres for L. vannamei, runs hatchery technology and seed-production programmes for scampi (M. rosenbergii), tiger shrimp, cobia, seabass, mud crab, ornamental species and mussel / oyster culture, and transfers technology to private hatcheries through demonstration modules and training. RGCA also operates disease-diagnostic laboratories and works with ICAR-CIBA and ICAR-CIFA on brood-stock and disease-management protocols.

NETFISH — Network for Fish Quality Management and Sustainable Fishing

NETFISHis MPEDA's fisheries-extension network. It trains fishers, fisher women and pre-harvest handlers on hygienic on-board handling, HACCP-compliant fish-hold and ice-slurry protocols for fishing vessels, cleanliness at landing centres, and pre-harvest quality-assurance for the domestic supply chain that feeds export processing. NETFISH's Field Extension Officers work in coastal clusters — Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, West Bengal, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa — on batch-based training, awareness campaigns on prohibited antibiotics and on the importance of temperature control from catch to plate.

NaCSA — National Centre for Sustainable Aquaculture

The National Centre for Sustainable Aquaculture (NaCSA)at Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh, is MPEDA's farmer-aggregation and sustainability arm. NaCSA organises small shrimp and scampi farmers into Aquaculture Societies, extends Better Management Practices (BMP) at farm-cluster level, runs disease-surveillance modules, promotes antibiotic-free farming through pre-harvest testing, and enables cluster-based traceability for residue- compliant export shipments. NaCSA is a critical piece of the overall traceability story — the Indian farm-cluster shrimp-export supply chain that clears EU and US residue screens is largely built on the NaCSA Society model.

Financial-assistance sub-schemes

MPEDA administers export-promotion assistance to registered exporters, farmers and processors through several operational sub-schemes under the Marine Products Export Promotion umbrella. Ceilings, unit costs and eligible activities are periodically revised in the Ministry of Commerce & Industry's notifications; the summary below captures the enduring structure.

1. Aquaculture Development

Assistance for setting up shrimp hatcheries, aquaculture ponds, Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS), biofloc units, diversified-species farming (scampi, seabass, cobia, ornamental fish), disease-diagnostic laboratories and effluent- treatment systems. This stream feeds the Aquaculture Society model organised by NaCSA and complements the aquaculture-side benefits of PMMSY.

2. Quality Development / Quality Upgrade

Support for installation of HACCP, ISO 22000, BRC, BAP (Best Aquaculture Practices) and ASC (Aquaculture Stewardship Council) certifications; laboratory equipment for antibiotic residue screening, heavy-metal analysis and microbiological testing; pre-processing / processing plant modernisation; and participation in the antibiotic residue-monitoring plan that MPEDA notifies for shrimp exports.

3. Infrastructure

Assistance for fish landing centres, pre-processing sheds, ice plants, cold storages, insulated / refrigerated transport, reefer container hire and integrated infrastructure at fishing harbours. This stream typically dovetails with the fishing-harbour and cold-chain components of PMMSY under the Department of Fisheries, and with the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund window on the capital-finance side.

4. Market Development

Assistance for participation in international seafood exhibitions — Seafood Expo Global (Barcelona), Seafood Expo North America (Boston), China Fisheries & Seafood Expo (Qingdao), Japan International Seafood Show (Tokyo) — outbound and inbound Buyer-Seller Meets, product brochures, brand promotion (including the “India Seafood” brand), product-specific advertising in overseas trade media and market-intelligence and country-specific tariff / non-tariff barrier studies. This stream parallels APEDA's Market Development sub-scheme — see the APEDA guide for the closely related agri-export architecture.

India's seafood export trade — headline figures

India is among the world's top seafood-exporting nations. MPEDA's annual export review reported roughly USD 7.38 billion (about ₹60,500 crore) of marine product exports in FY 2022-23, with the FY 2023-24 headline number in a similar band. Marine exports have hovered in the USD 7-8 billion range in recent years — the year-on-year variance is driven mainly by international shrimp prices, US anti-dumping / countervailing-duty movement, feed cost cycles and disease events at the pond level.

Frozen shrimp — the single-largest category, contributing more than two-thirds of India's seafood export value. L. vannamei is dominant.
Top export destinations — the United States (the single-largest market, driven by Vannamei shrimp), China (frozen fish, cephalopods), the European Union (shrimp and value-added), Japan (frozen shrimp and value-added), and South-East Asia (Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia).
Top producing states — Andhra Pradesh (dominant on cultured shrimp), West Bengal, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Odisha and Kerala.
Ports — Chennai, Visakhapatnam, Kochi, JNPT (Nhava Sheva) and Kolkata handle the bulk of frozen-seafood shipments.

Figures are drawn from MPEDA's Statistics of Marine Products Exports annual review and the DGCIS trade database (year cited where quoted). Round-year totals are conservative; for latest-quarter data always refer to mpeda.gov.in and PIB.

How different stakeholders engage

Exporters (proprietor / partnership / LLP / company): obtain an IEC from DGFT, register on mpeda.gov.in for the RCEMP under the appropriate category (Merchant / Manufacturer / Route-through), enrol in the antibiotic residue-monitoring plan for shrimp, and claim MPEDA financial-assistance sub- schemes against RCEMP-linked activity.
Aquaculture farmers (shrimp, scampi, seabass): engage through NaCSA-facilitated Aquaculture Societies at farm-cluster level, adopt Better Management Practices, follow the pre-harvest antibiotic-residue testing protocol, and claim Aquaculture Development assistance for pond preparation, seed and feed.
Hatcheries and seed producers: engage with RGCA for SPF broodstock and hatchery technology transfer, and claim RCEMP under the Farmer / Hatchery Owner category.
Processors: the processing plant must be an Export Inspection Council (EIC) approved unit for target markets (EU list, US list, etc.). Processors claim Quality Development assistance for HACCP / ISO 22000 / BRC / BAP / ASC certifications and testing infrastructure, and Market Development assistance for participation in international trade fairs.
Fishing vessel owners: register with MPEDA under the Fishing Vessel Owner category, participate in NETFISH on-board hygienic-handling training, and claim Infrastructure assistance for insulated fish holds and ice- slurry systems.
State governments: coordinate with MPEDA on fishing-harbour and landing-centre projects (often co-funded with PMMSY), on the state-level implementation of the antibiotic residue-monitoring plan, and on state-specific seafood-cluster export planning.

Where MPEDA sits in India's export and fisheries architecture

MPEDA is one of the statutory export-promotion authorities under the Department of Commerce — alongside APEDA, the Tea Board, the Coffee Board, the Spices Board, the Rubber Board and the Tobacco Board. It works alongside the Department of Fisheries under the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying, which runs the fisheries-development flagship Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY). The Export Inspection Council (EIC), also under the Department of Commerce, co-certifies processing establishments for the EU and other importing markets. The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT)issues the IEC and administers the Foreign Trade Policy. Customs is administered by the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC). This division of labour matters — an MPEDA-registered exporter shipping frozen Vannamei shrimp from an Andhra Pradesh farm cluster to the US is simultaneously subject to MPEDA's registration and residue-monitoring plan, EIC pre-shipment testing, DGFT's Foreign Trade Policy provisions, US FDA import screens and Customs clearance.

Cross-links with schemes and bodies on this site

APEDA — the companion statutory export-promotion authority for agricultural and processed food products; the RCMC and RCEMP registration architectures are direct analogues.
PMMSY — the fisheries-development flagship whose fishing-harbour, cold-chain and aquaculture components dovetail with MPEDA's infrastructure and quality-upgrade assistance.
AIF — the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund window for capital-intensive post-harvest assets (cold storage, processing, aquaculture infrastructure).
Kisan Credit Card for fisheries — the working-capital instrument for the beneficiary contribution under PMMSY and often stackable with MPEDA aquaculture support.
10,000 FPO scheme — the aggregator layer through which fisheries FPOs can access MPEDA extension and market-development support.

Frequently asked questions

What is MPEDA and which ministry runs it?: MPEDA — the Marine Products Export Development Authority — is a statutory autonomous body of the Government of India, constituted under the Marine Products Export Development Authority Act 1972 (Act 13 of 1972). It became operational in 1972 and functions under the Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce & Industry — the same parent department as APEDA, the Tea Board, the Coffee Board, the Spices Board and the Rubber Board. MPEDA's headquarters is at Panampilly Nagar, Kochi (Kerala), close to India's major seafood-export gateway. Its mandate is to promote the export of marine products from India by prescribing standards, providing financial assistance, developing pre-harvest and post-harvest infrastructure, running sustainable-aquaculture and quality-management programmes, and undertaking market development and trade intelligence for the seafood value chain.
Which products fall under MPEDA's mandate?: MPEDA covers the entire universe of marine and aquaculture products exported from India. The core categories are frozen shrimp (Vannamei, black tiger, scampi and other species — historically the single-largest export item by value, accounting for a majority of India's seafood export earnings), frozen fish, frozen squid and cuttlefish, frozen crab and lobster, dried and chilled marine products, live fish and shellfish, surimi and value-added seafood (breaded, ready-to-cook, ready-to-eat), fish meal and fish oil, ornamental fish, seaweed and other marine plant products, and value-added chitin / chitosan derivatives. Freshwater and brackish-water aquaculture products intended for export — carp, pangasius, tilapia, seabass, mullet, milkfish — also fall under MPEDA when they enter the export supply chain.
What registration does a seafood exporter need from MPEDA?: Every seafood exporter must obtain a Registration Certificate as Exporter of Marine Products (RCEMP) from MPEDA — this is the seafood-sector equivalent of APEDA's Registration-cum-Membership Certificate. Applications are filed online through the MPEDA portal at mpeda.gov.in with the Import Export Code (IEC) issued by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), PAN of the applicant firm, bank certificate, constitution documents (partnership deed / MoA / society deed) and the prescribed registration fee. Registration categories cover Merchant Exporter, Manufacturer Exporter (processing plants), Route-through Exporter, Fishing Vessel Owner, Farmer / Hatchery Owner and Seafood Restaurateur — with distinct documentation and fee slabs. A valid RCEMP is a pre-requisite for shipment of any marine product from India, for claiming MPEDA financial assistance and for participating in MPEDA-organised trade fairs and Buyer-Seller Meets.
What are RGCA, NETFISH and NaCSA — MPEDA's sub-bodies?: MPEDA operates through three specialised society-mode sub-bodies. RGCA (Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Aquaculture) at Sirkazhi, Tamil Nadu, is MPEDA's R&D arm for aquaculture — running SPF (Specific Pathogen Free) broodstock multiplication centres for L. vannamei shrimp, hatchery technology, seed production for scampi (M. rosenbergii), tiger shrimp, cobia, seabass, mud crab and ornamental species, and technology transfer to private hatcheries. NETFISH (Network for Fish Quality Management and Sustainable Fishing) works on fisheries extension — training fisher women and pre-harvest handlers on hygienic handling, HACCP-compliant on-board practices for fishing vessels, and quality assurance at landing centres. NaCSA (National Centre for Sustainable Aquaculture) at Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh, organises small aquaculture farmers into Aquaculture Societies, promotes Better Management Practices (BMP), disease surveillance, and cluster-based traceability for antibiotic-free and residue-compliant shrimp for export.
What financial-assistance schemes does MPEDA administer?: MPEDA operationalises Ministry of Commerce & Industry export-promotion assistance for the marine sector under several sub-schemes notified periodically in the Marine Products Export Promotion umbrella. The four broad streams are: (i) Aquaculture Development — assistance for setting up shrimp hatcheries, aquaculture ponds, RAS (Recirculating Aquaculture Systems), biofloc units, diversified species farming (scampi, seabass, cobia, ornamental fish), disease diagnostic laboratories and effluent treatment systems; (ii) Quality Upgrade / Quality Development — support for HACCP, ISO 22000, BRC, BAP and ASC certifications, laboratory equipment for antibiotic residue and heavy-metal testing, and pre-processing / processing plant modernisation; (iii) Infrastructure — support for fish landing centres, pre-processing sheds, cold storages, ice plants, insulated / refrigerated transport and integrated infrastructure at fishing harbours (co-implemented with the Department of Fisheries under PMMSY); and (iv) Market Development — assistance for participation in international seafood exhibitions (Seafood Expo Global Barcelona, Seafood Expo North America, China Fisheries & Seafood Expo, Japan International Seafood Show), Buyer-Seller Meets, product brochures, brand promotion (India Seafood brand) and market intelligence. All streams are claimed against the RCEMP.
How big is India's seafood export trade and who are the top buyers?: India is among the world's top seafood exporters. Marine product exports from India have hovered around USD 7-8 billion in recent years — for example, MPEDA's annual export review reported roughly USD 7.38 billion (about ₹60,500 crore) of marine product exports in 2022-23, with frozen shrimp alone contributing more than two-thirds of the value. The top export destinations are the United States (the single-largest market, driven by Vannamei shrimp demand), China (frozen fish and squid), the European Union (frozen and value-added shrimp and squid), Japan (frozen shrimp and value-added), and South-East Asia (Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia). Andhra Pradesh accounts for the largest share of India's cultured-shrimp production, followed by West Bengal, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Odisha and Kerala. All state / year and country-wise trade data are published in MPEDA's annual review at mpeda.gov.in and mirrored in DGCIS trade statistics.
How do farmers, processors and exporters engage with MPEDA?: The engagement path depends on the entity. An exporter — proprietor, partnership, LLP or company — first obtains an IEC from DGFT, then registers on mpeda.gov.in for the RCEMP; once registered, the exporter can claim MPEDA financial-assistance sub-schemes, participate in MPEDA-organised international seafood expos and Buyer-Seller Meets, and enrol in MPEDA quality-certification and traceability programmes. Aquaculture farmers — especially small shrimp and scampi farmers — engage through NaCSA-facilitated Aquaculture Societies, adopt Better Management Practices, subscribe to the antibiotic residue and pre-harvest testing protocol, and receive assistance for pond preparation, seed and feed as notified. Hatcheries and seed producers engage with RGCA for SPF broodstock and technology transfer. Processors (pre-processing sheds and factory-approved plants) engage with MPEDA for approval of processing establishments (jointly with the Export Inspection Council), quality-management certification support and effluent-treatment upgrade. Fishing vessel owners register with MPEDA under the Fishing Vessel Owner category, and access on-board hygienic-handling training through NETFISH.
Where are the official sources for MPEDA updates, statistics and notifications?: The authoritative sources are the MPEDA portal at mpeda.gov.in (RCEMP, financial-assistance schemes, notifications, exporter directory, annual export review, pre-shipment inspection protocols), rgca.org.in (Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Aquaculture technology, SPF broodstock, hatchery training), nacsa.mpeda.gov.in (Aquaculture Societies and Better Management Practices), netfish.mpeda.gov.in (fisher-women and pre-harvest training), the Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics (DGCIS) at dgciskol.gov.in for HS-code-level export trade data, dgft.gov.in for the Import Export Code, eic.gov.in for the Export Inspection Council (which co-certifies processing establishments for the EU and other markets) and the Press Information Bureau (PIB) for Cabinet and Ministry announcements. MPEDA's regional and sub-regional offices at Kochi (HQ), Mumbai, Chennai, Visakhapatnam, Kolkata, Bhubaneswar, Veraval and elsewhere handle exporter servicing and pre-shipment inspection referrals.

Official sources

MPEDA — mpeda.gov.in (RCEMP, financial-assistance schemes, notifications, exporter directory, annual Statistics of Marine Products Exports review, pre-shipment inspection protocols and antibiotic residue-monitoring plan).
RGCA — rgca.org.in (SPF broodstock, hatchery technology, disease diagnostics, training).
NaCSA — the NaCSA cell under mpeda.gov.in (Aquaculture Societies, Better Management Practices, cluster-based traceability).
NETFISH — the NETFISH cell under mpeda.gov.in (fisher and pre-harvest handler training, on-board hygiene, quality-assurance extension).
Export Inspection Council — eic.gov.in (approval and inspection of processing establishments for the EU / US / other lists).
Directorate General of Foreign Trade — dgft.gov.in (Import Export Code, Foreign Trade Policy).
Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics (DGCIS) — dgciskol.gov.in (HS-code-level export trade data).
Press Information Bureau — pib.gov.in (Ministry of Commerce & Industry announcements on marine product exports).

This page is for general guidance. For the latest RCEMP procedure, financial-assistance sub-scheme ceilings, antibiotic residue-monitoring plans, EIC-approved plant list and export statistics, please refer directly to mpeda.gov.in, rgca.org.in, eic.gov.in and dgciskol.gov.in.