February 13, 2008

Brazil's farmed shrimp consumption increases

Consumption of farmed shrimps in Brazil has increased as much as fivefold in recent years.
 

Brazil's farmed shrimp consumption in 2003 was only 10 percent, but it has since risen to between 60 and 70 percent, according to Guilherme Crispim, trade director at the State Secretariat of Aquaculture and Fishery.

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil's second major city, is one of the highest consumers of grey shrimp, equivalent to 23 kilograms per person per year, according to the Association of Fishermen and Fisheries of Rio de Janeiro.

Crispim said the secretariat acknowledges the importance of the domestic market to farmed shrimp production, as it will generate export income for Brazil. He added that it is also important for the production to have a balanced development in exports and domestic market.

Shrimp farming in Brazil started in the northeast. It was also established in southern Rio de Janeiro, Esp¨ªrito Santo and Santa Catarina where in 1998, geared to the export market.

The sector has grown significantly up to 2003, when the US filed an anti-dumping complaint against the world's seven largest shrimp exporters, including Brazil.