Aquaculture stocks hit 20% UC

Shares of Apex Frozen Foods and Avanti Feeds jumped sharply in early trade today, with both counters hitting the 20% upper circuit soon after the opening bell. Apex Frozen touched Rs. 352.20, its highest level since September 2022, while Avanti Feeds hit Rs. 960 to mark a fresh all-time high. 

The trigger was a sudden easing of tariff overhang after Donald Trump said the United States and India had reached a trade deal under which the US would lower the tariff on Indian goods to 18% from 25%, alongside dropping an additional 25% duty linked to India’s earlier purchases of Russian oil, according to a White House official. Narendra Modi acknowledged the tariff reduction in a social media post, while analysts flagged that the announcement materially improved sentiment, even as key implementation details and timelines were still not fully spelled out.

For shrimp and aquaculture-linked names, the tariff rollback is meaningful because the US remains a critical end-market: lower landed costs can help restore order flows, improve pricing visibility and support margins versus a “higher-tariff” scenario that had earlier pressured the space.

Market participants also point out that companies with higher direct US exposure could see a sharper near-term relief, while the sector’s medium-term backdrop may also benefit from improving trade visibility after the recent European Union-India agreement, which includes zero-tariff access for several Indian export categories including seafood over time.

That said, the move remains sentiment-driven at this stage, tariffs are still meaningful at 18%, competitive pressures in global shrimp trade can persist, and clarity on the fine print and rollout of the US-India agreement will be important for how much of today’s re-rating sustains.