Chandrashila Exports has been shipping frozen shrimp out of Veraval, Gujarat since 2013, backed by more than three decades of family experience in the Indian fishing trade. Veraval is one of India's largest fishing harbours, which means we buy at the landing centre rather than through a chain of intermediaries — shorter time from catch to blast freezer, and a shorter cost chain for the buyer.
Shrimp species and forms we export
India is the world's second-largest shrimp producer, and the Gujarat coast supplies both farmed Litopenaeus vannamei and a range of wild-caught species that most buyers only ever see under trade names. Here is exactly what we ship and how it is presented.
| Product | Species | Forms | Freezing | Sizes / use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raw Headless Shrimp | Metapenaeus affinis | HLSO, PD, PUD | IQF / block frozen | 16/20 – 100/200 |
| Blanched PUD Shrimp | Parapenaeopsis stylifera | PUD, blanched | IQF | Retail / food service |
| Raw Head-On Shrimp | Solenocera crassicornis | HOSO | Block frozen / IQF | Arabian Sea, Gujarat |
Grading, freezing and packing
Shrimp is graded by count per pound — the number of individual pieces it takes to make one pound. A lower count means a larger shrimp and a higher price per kilo. We grade to the count band you specify, not to a nearest-available band, and we state glazing separately from net weight so your landed cost is predictable. If you are new to count grading, our shrimp size and count guide works through the arithmetic with worked examples.
- IQF (individually quick frozen) — pieces freeze separately, so the end user thaws only what they need. Standard for retail packs and food service.
- Block frozen — 10 kg and 20 kg blocks, favoured by processors who will re-work the material anyway. Lower cost per kilo, better protection against freezer burn on long transits.
- Glazing — specified as a percentage and declared on the carton. We do not quote glazed weight as net weight.
- Cartons — buyer-branded or neutral master cartons, inner packs from 250 g retail through 2 kg catering.
The difference between IQF and block frozen changes both your price and your kitchen workflow — we cover the trade-off in detail in IQF vs block frozen seafood.
Which cut do you need?
Buyers in different markets want different presentations of the same animal. Head-on shell-on shrimp sells strongly across East Asia and the Gulf, where the head is part of the eating experience and a visual freshness cue. Headless shell-on is the workhorse cut for European retail. Peeled and deveined, and peeled undeveined, go to processors, ready-meal manufacturers and food service where labour cost matters more than presentation. Our breakdown of shrimp cuts and their yields sets out what each conversion costs you in weight.
Compliance and documentation
Chandrashila Exports is MPEDA registered (Marine Products Export Development Authority), EIA approved (Export Inspection Agency) and FSSAI licensed. Shipments travel with the commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading, certificate of origin and the health certificate your destination requires. If you are importing from India for the first time, the import guide walks through the whole document set, and the documents checklist is the version you can hand to your customs broker.
Where our shrimp goes
We ship regularly into China and the wider East Asian market, into Belgium, Spain, Italy and the Netherlands, and into the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Kuwait. Fifteen countries, roughly 500 tonnes a month across all products.