BANGKOK: As overall imports of shrimp to the US decreased in October, Thailand upped its volumes.
Thailand’s exports to the US in October surged 26.8% year-on-year to 8,613 metric tons, according to the National Marine Fisheries Service, showing strong signs of continued recovery from early mortality syndrome (EMS) which dealt a significant blow to its shrimp industry.
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Thailand’s increased exports came as overall US imports fell by 8.3% y-o-y in October, down to 56,489t.
Imports from other major shrimp producing countries either fell or increased only slightly, with the exception of Vietnam, whose imports to the US increased 12.5% y-o-y to 6,474t, the second-highest increase following Thailand.
Indonesian imports to the US fell by slightly over 24% y-o-y to 9,192t, after surging 30% in September. Imports from Ecuador fell by a little over 10% to 5,391t and imports from China dived by 33% y-o-y to 2,273t.
The overall value of imported shrimp decreased by 30% y-o-y to $517.76 million, giving an average per kilogram price of $9.14/kg. This per kilogram price is down 26.23% y-o-y, from $12.01/kg in October 2014.
However, the fall in price of product from Thailand was less severe, dropping 18.2% y-o-y to $10.13/kg.
In September 2015, Seafood News reported that in the last two years there have been huge increases in shrimp production in new areas, leading to downward pressure on prices.
