Trump hits largest shrimp importer, India, with 25% tariff

(The Center Square) − Shrimpers say President Trump’s 25% tariff on Indian imports is the biggest win for them yet. India is the largest exporter of shrimp to the United States, supplying more than 37% of all imported shrimp since 2017 — roughly $2.3 billion worth last year alone. The Alliance says the flood of low-cost, farm-raised Indian shrimp has undercut prices at the dock, forcing hundreds of family-run shrimp boats across the Gulf Coast and South Atlantic to stay idle.”This is a turning point,” said John Williams, executive director of the Southern Shrimp Alliance. “President Trump’s announcement offers a path forward for our industry. It allows shrimpers to get back to work harvesting a wholesome, nutritious product for American families.”The new 25% duty complements tariffs already in place on shrimp from Indonesia (19%) and Vietnam (20%). Collectively, the three nations accounted for nearly 65% of U.S. shrimp imports in 2024, with India responsible for 38.4%, Indonesia 17.4%, and Vietnam 8.9%. All three are also subject to existing antidumping and countervailing duties.The domestic shrimp industry has long complained that foreign competitors enjoy unfair advantages — pointing to alleged labor abuses, widespread antibiotic use and lax environmental standards. Williams said the new tariffs begin to correct those imbalances while increasing food security and expanding consumer access to U.S.-caught wild shrimp.”For decades, we’ve made it difficult for our fishermen to operate while foreign suppliers, who aren’t held to the same high standards, enjoyed unfettered access to American consumers,” Williams said. “Most seafood importers, retailers, and restaurants went after the cheapest possible supply they could find, no matter how unethically it was produced.”In September 2024, a report from the Sustainability Incubator found that while wholesale shrimp prices had plunged to record lows, retail prices remained historically high — suggesting profits have been captured by intermediaries rather than passed on to consumers.The Trump administration’s broader seafood strategy includes a trade agreement with Indonesia committing to outlaw the import of goods made with forced labor, bolster labor law enforcement, and combat illegal and unregulated fishing.The tariff shift also marks a reversal of long-standing U.S. policy that allowed duty-free shrimp imports unless subject to trade enforcement orders. That changed in April, when the administration began imposing reciprocal tariffs across seafood categories.In May alone, U.S. Customs data showed nearly $24 million in duties collected on raw warmwater shrimp imports — categorized under HTSUS code 0306.17. Overall, the U.S. imported $2.4 billion in seafood that month, on which $150 million in duties were levied, raising the effective duty rate from historic levels of 1–2% to over 6%.Williams believes these changes might not only help existing shrimpers but spur new investment in domestic production.”After years of watching friends and neighbors leave the industry, we will start to see new investment in the world’s most sustainable wild-caught warmwater shrimp fishery,” he said.