After eight years, prawns from Andhra Pradesh are set to reach Australian markets again. During his partnership tour in Australia, Nara Lokesh secured conditional approval for exporting unpeeled prawns from India to Australia.
The Trump government’s tariff on shrimp imports had badly hit Andhra’s seafood industry, which depends heavily on exports to the United States. India exports nearly 80 percent of its shrimp to the US, and the trade slowdown affected thousands of farmers.
Australia had banned shrimp imports from India in 2017 after detecting the white spot virus in several shipments. Now, after an eight-year ban, the country has agreed to import a fresh consignment from Andhra Pradesh under strict biosecurity rules.
This conditional approval is expected to boost Andhra Pradesh’s aquaculture economy, which once exported nearly 70 percent of its produce to the US. Officials say this breakthrough will diversify export destinations and reduce overdependence on American markets.
Announcing the news from Australia, AP IT Minister Nara Lokesh said, “A long-standing hurdle for Indian seafood exporters has been Australia’s restrictions on unpeeled prawns due to white spot virus detection. Today, the first import approval for Indian prawns has been granted.”
India’s shrimp exporters had suffered major losses after a 59.72 percent tariff was imposed by the US. For years, importers in Australia and New Zealand had been urging their governments to relax restrictions on Indian seafood.
Under the new conditions, prawns from Andhra Pradesh must be farmed organically in disease-free zones, frozen, and deveined before shipment. These steps are aimed at preventing any recurrence of the white spot virus in imported consignments.
Australian importers must now apply for specific permits identifying India as the country of origin for their shipments. For Andhra’s aquaculture farmers, this marks a strong return to global markets — and another significant achievement for Nara Lokesh.
