January 17, 2013

Brazil buys 5,000 tonnes of frozen shrimp from Argentina

Brazil's Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture (MPA) has confirmed the annual purchase of 5,000 tonnes of frozen shrimp (Pleoticus muelleri) for human consumption from Argentine extractive fishing.

According to a spokesman for the MPA, "the approval of the animal health requirements is missing, which must be certified by Argentina for each exported batch," and this is expected to happen soon. Last week, the head of the Ministry, Marcelo Crivella, travelled to Argentina to start the local inspection process.

This bilateral economic agreement worries shrimp producers, mainly from Ceara and the Brazilian Northeast, areas where most of the Brazilian shrimp is produced, the president of the Brazilian Association of Shrimp Breeders (ABCC), Itamar de Paiva, said.

In addition to competition, Brazilian producers warn that there is a risk that the country will be infected with a virus from the imported product.

Paiva said, "In a year in which the Northeast is having one of the worst droughts but caused no drop in the production, how can we accept that? We are trying to mobilise emails to the governors, showing the risk the import of Argentine shrimp can cause."

One of the risks the sector mentions is the entry of white spot syndrome, which is devastating for several species of the crustacean.

The association recalled that for the past three years Brazil did not buy shrimp abroad due to the risk of disease transmission.

In 2012, shrimp production in Ceara reached 35,000 tonnes, up 20% from a year earlier, explained the president of the Shrimp Breeders' Association in Ceara (ACCC), Cristiano Peixoto Maia.