Overview
- Australia issued a draft two‑year permit effective October 20, 2025, allowing conditional imports of unpeeled Indian prawns after an eight‑year restriction tied to white spot virus concerns.
- The initial approval applies to consignments that meet strict biosecurity terms, including sourcing from disease‑free zones and processing requirements such as freezing and deveining.
- Andhra Pradesh IT Minister Nara Lokesh announced the approval during his Australia visit and sought trade missions and buyer linkages through Seafood Industry Australia.
- State officials say US duties reached about 59.72%, with an estimated Rs 25,000 crore in export losses and roughly half of orders cancelled, intensifying the push to de‑risk from a single market.
- Andhra Pradesh supplies a large share of India’s shrimp exports and is pursuing cold‑chain, processing and compliance upgrades to qualify for the reopened Australian pathway.