Amaravati: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu has written to Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, seeking immediate intervention to mitigate the impact of increased US tariffs on India’s aquaculture exports. The letter comes in the wake of the United States, under former President Donald Trump’s trade policies, imposing a 27% tariff on Indian aqua products.
Chandrababu expressed concern that the high import duties are adversely affecting India’s aquaculture farmers, particularly in Andhra Pradesh. He requested the Centre to initiate discussions with the US government to reduce or exempt Indian aquaculture exports from the steep tariffs.
The Chief Minister highlighted that several international buyers have started cancelling orders due to cost escalations, leading to a storage crisis in the state’s cold chain infrastructure. He emphasized that the fisheries sector contributes significantly to the state’s GDP and urged the Centre to step in to support the livelihoods of thousands of aqua farmers.
Pointing to the uncertainty and distress in the sector, Chandrababu appealed to the Union Minister to take immediate and concrete steps to address the crisis and safeguard the interests of the aquaculture community.