MPEDA to hold second edition of National Seafood Skill Olympiad on July 1 to strengthen India’s value-added seafood exports

The Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) will host the second edition of the National Skill Olympiad on Seafood Value Addition on July 1 here, bringing together skilled seafood processing professionals from across the country to showcase their expertise in preparing value-added seafood products.

The competition, to be held as part of the July 1-3 Seafood Expo Bharat (SEB) 2026, aims to promote innovation and quality standards, recognise industry talent, and provide impetus to workforce development in India’s seafood processing sector, while fostering greater value addition in marine exports.

As a precursor to the second edition of the Skill Olympiad, MPEDA conducted an extensive nationwide capacity-building programme. It comprised of 50 Seafood Value Addition Training Programmes, through which more than 2,500 seafood processing workers and professionals were trained to prepare marine products in high demand in international markets.

The training covered products such as breaded squid rings, Nobashi (stretched shrimp), breaded butterfly shrimp, cooked, Peeled, Deveined, Tail-On shrimp (PDTO) shrimp, marinated shrimp skewers and fish fillets. Preliminary-level skill competitions were conducted after each training programme, and the best performers were identified.

The competition progressed through State-Level Skill Olympiads conducted across the coastal states, followed by Regional Skill Olympiads held at Mumbai (West Coast) and Vijayawada (East Coast). The top 10 performers from these regional competitions have now qualified for the National Seafood Skill Olympiad Grand Finale.

At the Grand Finale, finalists will demonstrate their technical skills before an eminent jury comprising experts from the seafood processing industry and academia. The winners will receive medals, certificates, and cash awards of ₹1,00,000 (First Prize), ₹75,000 (Second Prize), ₹50,000 (Third Prize), and ₹25,000 (Fourth Prize/Consolation).

The event will be attended by senior officials from the Central and state governments, seafood exporters, international buyers, industry leaders, technical experts, and delegates participating in Seafood Expo Bharat 2026.

The award-winning value-added seafood products prepared by the finalists will be showcased at the Skill Olympiad Pavilion, along with live demonstrations and tasting sessions featuring export-oriented seafood value-added products developed through MPEDA’s training programmes.

MPEDA Chairman Shri P. Jawahar said, “The National Seafood Skill Olympiad reflects a strong commitment to fostering excellence across the seafood value chain. By recognising and promoting skilled talent, we are strengthening the industry’s workforce and the Olympiad enhances India’s position as a trusted global supplier of high-quality seafood.”

Noting that investing in human capital is the key to sustaining India’s leadership in the blue economy, he said this flagship initiative will also create a highly competent workforce capable of meeting the demands of international markets.

Seafood Expo Bharat 2026, India’s premier international seafood exposition is organized by the MPEDA and it features over 325 exhibition stalls, segmented into dedicated zones spanning seafood processing, aquaculture, packaging machinery, logistics, and government pavilions.

Over three days, around 5,000 domestic and international stakeholders will engage in high-impact B2B meetings, network across retail and farming chains, and attend five parallel technical sessions focused on innovation and sustainability.

Additionally, the expo will host dynamic workforce and culinary events, including the Seafood Processing Skill Olympiad and the Seafood Culinary Olympiad, making it an unparalleled platform for various stakeholders to expand their market and building strategic partnerships across the global seafood value chain.

India’s seafood exports reached a record USD 8.45 billion during FY 2025–26, reaffirming the country’s position as one of the world’s leading seafood exporting nations. The country currently has 670 approved seafood processing units with a combined processing capacity of over 40,000 MT per day. Of these, 127 processing units produce value-added seafood products, contributing nearly 10 per cent (USD 0.84 billion) to India’s total seafood exports.

Recognising the significant growth potential in the value-added seafood sector, India has set an ambitious target of increasing the share of value-added exports to 25 per cent of total seafood exports by 2030.

To achieve this, MPEDA, under the Ministry of Commerce & Industry, has been implementing schemes and training programmes to enhance product innovation, strengthen processing & value addition infrastructure, build a trained professional pool, and raise awareness on quality for the seafood processing sector.