New Delhi: United States President Donald Trump’s trade tariffs have reportedly cost Andhra Pradesh approximately Rs 25,000 crore in shrimp exports, with government officials saying that about 50% orders were cancelled.According to a report by The Indian Express, with the tariff burden now standing at nearly Rs 600 crore on about 2,000 containers, chief minister Chandrababu Naidu has sought the Union government’s intervention to alleviate the distress that the export crisis has caused in the state.Washington had announced a whopping 50% tariff for exports to the US – 25% as what Trump has called a “reciprocal” rate in response to India’s tariffs, and an additional 25% as “penalty” because India continues to import oil from Russia. On top of that, there is also the 5.76% countervailing duty and 3.96% anti-dumping duty, taking the total to 59.72%.In separate letters to Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal and fisheries minister Rajeev Ranjan Singh, Naidu sought relief in the goods and services tax, and extending the Union government’s financial packages to Andhra’s shrimp farmers to indemnify them against the losses. He also suggested looking for markets beyond the US.The Wire has previously reported on which sectors will be the most hit by Trump tariffs in India, with the shrimp industry topping the list analysed by Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI).According to the chief minister’s letter, Andhra Pradesh accounts for 80% of the country’s shrimp exports and 34% of all marine exports, valued at around Rs 21,246 crore annually. Over 30 lakh people are estimated to be dependent on shrimp exports and allied activities in the state.The Wire has previously reported that during the 2023-24 fiscal year, shrimp exports accounted for 92% of the US $2.55 billion worth of marine products India shipped to the US.Owing to the uncertainty, shrimp farmers across Andhra Pradesh had already begun redirecting their harvested produce to domestic consumers by April. Large quantities of shrimp appeared in local markets in Vijayawada, Eluru, Bhimavaram, Machilipatnam and other coastal towns, often sold directly by farmers or through middlemen at substantially reduced prices. This situation placed immense financial pressure on farmers dealing with perishable stock and collapsing prices.In his letter, Naidu pointed out that the farmers and their families were facing hardships due to the tariffs and that his government had already announced various relief measures, such as reducing the price of aqua feed by Rs 9 per kg, and are considering subsidising the price of transformers, among other measures.He has asked the Union government to facilitate bank support for exporters and aqua companies, which includes a 240-day moratorium on loan and interest repayments, interest subsidies and a temporary waiver of the 5% GST on frozen shrimp. He has also urged the government to focus on diversifying export markets through Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) with the European Union, South Korea, Saudi Arabia and Russia to boost exports, as per the report. He noted that exporters were ready to supply seafood to the EU.