Thai shrimp farmers oppose imports from Ecuador and India
Thai shrimp farmers are calling for a review of the Department of Fisheries’ permission for shrimp imports from Ecuador and India, a source said on Thursday.
They expect Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha to rescind the department’s order in order to help protect the local industry involving tens of thousands of shrimp farmers, according to the source, who runs his shrimp farm in the South.
Seafoodnews.com, a seafood industry news website, reported recently that Thailand’s Department of Fisheries has allowed the import of shrimp from 36 farms in Ecuador.
The decision came after Ecuador met the safety and biosafety protocols during the export process. In March 2021, Thailand had suspended the import of shrimp from Ecuador after viruses were found in shrimp samples coming from that country.
The source said Thai shrimp producers were startled by the decision to approve shrimp imports from Ecuador, and later from India.
According to the source, the imports would severely impact Thailand’s brand building for domestic shrimp and the image of the local industry.
He said the new Department of Fisheries’ director-general had only recently promised to help Thailand reclaim its status as the world's largest exporter of shrimps by boosting exports to 400,000 tons within 2023.
India and Ecuador are the world’s leading exporters of shrimp.
In 2010, Thailand exported 437,270 tons of shrimp products worth 101.1 billion baht. However, exports had declined by 53.9 per cent last year compared to 2010 due to shrimp diseases.
