Bhubaneswar: The ongoing conflict in the Middle East has hit Odisha’s seafood exports to the region, with the value of shipments of fish, shrimp and other marine products declining by 14.57% in 2025-26, causing an estimated loss of Rs 23.40 crore in export earnings compared with the previous year, Fisheries & Animal Resources Development Minister Gokula Nanda Mallik informed the state Assembly on Wednesday.
In a written reply to a question by Aali MLA Pratap Keshari Deb, Mallik said the figures were based on data received from the Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA).
According to the data, Odisha’s seafood exports to the war-affected region of the Middle East declined by 14.57% in value during 2025-26. The fall resulted in a loss of approximately Rs 23.40 crore in export earnings compared with 2024-25.
Despite the decline in exports to the Middle East, Odisha’s overall seafood export performance remained positive during the year. The state recorded a 16.36% increase in the overall value of seafood exports in 2025-26 compared with the previous financial year.
The value of Odisha’s total seafood exports increased by Rs 763.94 crore during 2025-26 over the previous year, according to the minister’s reply.
The figures indicate that while geopolitical disruptions in the Middle East affected Odisha’s seafood trade with the region, the state’s overall marine products export earnings registered growth during the year.
Odisha is among India’s major seafood-producing states, with shrimp and other marine products forming a significant part of its export basket. The Middle East is an important overseas market for Indian seafood products, and disruptions caused by regional conflicts can affect shipments, demand and trade flows.
The minister’s reply, however, showed that the decline in exports to the war-affected Middle East region did not translate into a fall in Odisha’s overall seafood export value, which rose by 16.36% during 2025-26.
