April 7, 2006
Shrimp industry may adopt OPEC-style production schedule
Producers from Brazil and Thailand have floated a proposal that may result in an OPEC-style producer group that would standardise prices across the industry.
The move would help producers gain better prices worldwide and synchronise production schedules to meet demand from different countries during different seasons, said Brazilian Shrimp Farmers president Itamar Rocha.
Such a producer group would also share information and coordinate with each other to meet demand in different sizes of shrimps, he added.
The proposal covers both farmed and wild shrimp.
The proposal would now be formally presented to other nations. Indonesia, Colombia, Mexico, Argentina, Honduras, and Venezuela have expressed strong interest.
World shrimp production reached 2.3 million tonnes in 2005, according to Global Aquaculture Alliance (GAA).
Global Shrimp Production 2005 (tonnes)
|
Philippines |
38,000 |
|
Bangladesh |
58,000 |
|
Brazil |
65,000 |
|
Mexico |
81,000 |
|
Central America |
82,00 |
|
India |
111,00 |
|
Ecuador |
130,000 |
|
Indonesia |
300,000 |
|
Vietnam |
310,000 |
|
Others |
343,000 |
|
Thailand |
380,000 |
|
China |
408,000 |
| Source: IntraFish Media |
(Note: Information for China may not be accurate due to
questionable data from official sources.)
