Industry seeks export incentives, aquaculture funding and lower input costs
NEW DELHI, Jan 12 (The CONNECT) – India’s livestock and aquaculture industry is looking to the Union Budget 2026–27 to shape the sector’s next phase of growth, with expectations centred on stronger export support, sustained aquaculture investment and relief from rising costs.
Divya Kumar Gulati, Chairman of CLFMA India, said the Budget assumes added significance as India expands its footprint in global markets for buffalo meat and seafood. He noted that the industry is seeking measures that make access to international markets easier, alongside quality and certification systems aligned with global standards and targeted branding support for high-value regions such as the US, EU and ASEAN.
Gulati said export-linked incentives, freight assistance and government-backed market development programmes could significantly improve price realisation for farmers and producer cooperatives, while enhancing India’s competitiveness in overseas markets.
He pointed out that sustaining this export momentum would require continued and stronger support under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana, with higher allocations for hatcheries, seed production, technology-enabled farming practices and climate-resilient aquaculture to help scale operations without compromising quality or supply stability.
Rising input costs remain a key concern for the sector, Gulati said, adding that while the previous Budget’s reduction in Basic Customs Duty on select aquaculture inputs was a positive step, further relief is needed. Additional duty reductions on pond and hatchery equipment, quality feed inputs, and cold-chain and processing infrastructure, along with rationalisation of GST, would help lower production costs and strengthen the sector’s long-term competitiveness, he said.
