Friday, 02 May 2025
GUEST COLUMN
Shaji Baby John
India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have seen a significant upswing in bilateral relations over the past decade, especially in trade. However, food security remains a crucial area that needs deeper collaboration. Given that the UAE imports 80–90 per cent of its food—including seafood—the two nations must explore ways to align their strengths- India as a potential top fish producer and the UAE in pursuit of its National Food Security Strategy 2051.
India’s Potential
India is already the world’s third-largest fish producer and second-largest in aquaculture, working toward the ambitious Blue Revolution 2.0. Its resource base is massive:
8,118 kms of coastline
2.02 million sq kms of Exclusive Economic Zone
5,30,000 sq kms of continental shelf
1,95,210 kms of rivers and canals
3.15 million hectares of reservoirs
2.414 million hectares of ponds and tanks
1.24 million hectares of brackish waters
2,90,000 hectares of estuaries
Despite these abundant resources, only a fraction is currently utilised. Still, progress is visible. In FY 2023–24, India exported 1,781,602 metric tonnes of seafood—a 2.67 per cent increase from the previous year, according to the Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA). Notably, the UAE ranked ninth among India’s top seafood export destinations. Among export items, frozen shrimp remained dominant. More impressively, fresh chilled fish exports to the UAE grew 65 per cent- with 799 shipments from October 2023 to September 2024- compared to the previous year. Given the UAE’s high seafood import dependence, there’s significant headroom for India to expand its market share.
UAE’s role
The UAE aims to become a logistics and food processing hub for the GCC and MENA regions, with seafood a key sector. Its advanced port infrastructure, cold chain systems and proximity to India make it an ideal partner in building a resilient, cost-effective food supply network. UAE hosts 568 small-to-medium food and beverage processors 3,567 food manufacturing establishments (as of 2021)
The food and beverage sector contributes 25 per cent to UAE’s manufacturing GDP. Abu Dhabi accounts for 36 per cent of UAE’s food processing, valued at $3.6 billion
UAE’s food processing facilities produce 5.9 million tonnes of food and beverages yearly, including 2.3 million tonnes of staple foods.
The UAE is also making big bets on the future. Its Food Tech Valley initiative aims to triple food production by 2030, create 20,000 new jobs, and add $10 billion to the economy.
Roadmap for collaboration
For India and the UAE to meet their respective goals, deeper integration is necessary—particularly at the grassroots level. UAE companies could partner directly with Indian coastal cooperatives, fisherfolk societies and producer organisations to eliminate middlemen and ensure fair pricing and steady supply. A catch-to-export model could streamline operations.
UAE investors can help fund:
Eco-friendly fishing vessels
Cage and shrimp farming
Mariculture ventures
Ice plants, cold storages, and processing units run by Indian cooperatives
Additionally, UAE banks can extend microfinance and low-interest loans to small fisherfolk and support initiatives around health, education and women’s participation in seafood logistics and processing. Dedicated procurement hubs near fishing villages, long-term procurement deals, product traceability and community-sourced seafood branding could further bolster trade integrity. Collaborative research and development between UAE institutes and Indian fisheries universities like CIFE (Mumbai) and CMFRI (Kochi) can support climate-resilient and disease-resistant aquaculture systems.
Streamlining trade
Both nations could also benefit from:
Mutual recognition of certifications (e.g., Halal, HACCP, BAP)
Setting up seafood express corridors between Indian and UAE ports
Establishing India-UAE cold storage terminals at strategic ports and airports
Joint training programmes, supply chain monitoring, and processing park investments
India can also share aquaculture tech with the UAE and jointly form a Joint Fisheries Working Group (JFWG) comprising public and private stakeholders.
A shared vision
This partnership holds immense potential. Global fish consumption has more than doubled since the 1960s, reaching 20.7 kg per capita in 2022. For the first time, aquaculture production (94.4 million tonnes) overtook wild catch (91 million tonnes) that year.
India and the UAE can together shape a future where food security, economic empowerment, and sustainable fisheries align—a win-win vision that now requires focus, investment, and implementation. Through its various ongoing and planned initiatives, Kings Infra Ventures Limited is playing a role in enhancing such collaborations and can do much more to make the most of such initiatives in the mutual interests of both the nations.
(The author is the chairman and managing director of Kings Infra Ventures Limited who also writes on the blue economy and sustainable food production system. Views expressed are personal)
