Salmon Scotland's Chair, Atholl Duncan, attended the event at Lancaster House, in London, celebrating the new UK–India Free Trade Agreement coming into force.
Photo: Salmon Scotland LinkedIn page.
Until yesterday, Scottish salmon exports to the Indian market faced a 33% tariff, which severely limited trade, but with the entry into force yesterday, July 15, of the free trade agreement (FTA) between the UK and India, this has finally been eliminated.
The deal, which the UK government said is "the most comprehensive ever agreed by India," could boost the United Kingdom's GDP by GBP 4.8 billion, real wages by GBP 2.2 billion and bilateral trade by GBP 25.5 billion in the long term.
In the specific case of Scottish salmon, Salmon Scotland stated that the agreement paves the way for exports worth tens of millions of pounds every year, creating investment and well-paid jobs in Scotland. It believes India could become a significant market, with higher-growth projections pointing to exports of more than 3,500 tons a year by the end of the decade.
Furthermore, an analysis by the trade body presented in February suggested that India could become one of Scotland's main international markets for salmon by the mid-2030s, generating export revenues that could grow by up to GBP 130 million over 10 years.
According to figures from the International Monetary Fund, India is the world's fourth-largest economy, with a GDP of USD 4.19 trillion. With a population of 1.45 billion people, as Salmon Scotland noted, it is also the world's third-largest fish market, with domestic consumption reaching nearly 12 million tons in 2021, up 120% since 2005.
Although it is also the world's second-largest fish producer—with a projected output for 2024-25 close to 20 million tons—and, currently, most fish consumed in the Indian market is locally sourced, the Scottish salmon trade body pointed out that Indian imports focus on premium seafood in major cities such as Delhi and Mumbai, where demand for healthy, high-quality products is rising.
It is precisely in this market for high-end seafood products that Scottish salmon's reputation for quality and high standards is expected to appeal strongly to those consumers. This was highlighted by Tavish Scott, CEO of Salmon Scotland, approximately a month ago, when the exact date of the agreement's entry into force was announced.
"India has huge potential as a growing market for our premium, sustainable product, and this agreement could unlock tens of millions of pounds in exports each year," he stated. "By reducing tariffs and removing trade barriers, the deal can help more consumers in India enjoy Scottish salmon, while supporting well-paid jobs, investment, and growth in Scotland's coastal communities."
Left to right, Atholl Duncan, Chair of Salmon Scotland; Siddharth Malik, Consul General of India; and Ian Laister, Managing Director of Bakkafrost Scotland, during the visit the India's representative paid to Bakkafrost Scotland's Stronachullin farm at Loch Fyne, Argyll.
Exports to India have so far remained modest, reaching around 70 tons a year worth roughly GBP 0.5 million up to 2022, but, as Salmon Scotland pointed out, the figure also suggests that early demand and supply chains are already in place. "Strong distribution links and reliable cold-chain logistics will be crucial to turning that opportunity into lasting exports," it noted in its February analysis.
However, the growing trade opportunity between Scotland's salmon sector and India is not just one-way. As Scottish salmon producers prepare for lower tariffs and the chance to build demand in one of the world's fastest-growing economies, aquaculture suppliers in the Asian country are also waiting for their opportunity, as Siddharth Malik, Consul General of India, pointed out last April during a visit to Bakkafrost Scotland's Stronachullin farm at Loch Fyne, Argyll.
"India and Scotland are already connected through supply chains, with Indian companies supplying fishing nets to support the aquaculture sector," he then said. "This is good news not only for the industry, but for the wider economic partnership between India and Scotland," he added.
"India is an exciting growth market and, with tariffs set to fall, there is a real opportunity to strengthen trade links in the years ahead," stated Salmon Scotland's Chair Atholl Duncan during that same visit. "Opening up new markets helps support jobs, investment, and economic activity in coastal communities across Scotland."
Since the UK-India FTA was signed last year, Scottish salmon producers have been preparing for what Salmon Scotland once described as the "lucrative Indian market." Following Bakkafrost Scotland's visit in April, Mowi Scotland also welcomed a representative of the Indian government in July 2025—the Indian High Commissioner, Vikram K. Doraiswami—who traveled to Scotland to learn more about the scale and quality of Scottish farm-raised salmon.
"I am delighted that with the FTA reducing trade barriers, India's restaurateurs and consumers will soon be able to affordably access premium Scottish salmon, enhancing consumer choice and fostering economic growth," Doraiswami then said.
Now that the farewell to the 33% tariff on Scottish salmon exports to India is a reality, the king of UK food exports in 2025—it is also the UK's favorite fish—will finally be able to compete on equal terms with Norwegian and Icelandic salmon exports, which have been tariff-free since the Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA) between the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) states—Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland—and India entered into force in October 2025.
After the EFTA states and the UK, India's next movement was the European Union, with which it signed a historic free trade agreement in February of this year. Scheduled to enter into force in 2027, this deal will open the Indian market to value-added salmon products processed in European countries such as Denmark and Poland—usually the largest importer of Norwegian salmon—but will find the UK, and the premium offering of Scottish salmon, already rapidly expanding in the market.