Mozambique to penetrate US shrimp market

Mozambican authorities are eyeing the US shrimp market following the decline of demand from the European Union.

The shrimp export market has been a valuable asset for Mozambique with shipments valued at US$1 billion over the last decade and a half.

But now the price has collapsed on the EU market by up to US$10 a kilo for Mozambique shrimp down to US$6 a kilo, reports from MediaFAX say.

Shrimp has been Mozambique's biggest export in several years, such as in 1994 and the five following years.

In 2008, around 5,400 tonnes of shrimp were caught and exported, as compared to almost 9,000 tonnes exported in 2000, which were mainly sent to Spain, Portugal and France.