July 16, 2013

Thailand's shrimp exports may drop 50% in 2013 due to the Early Mortality Syndrome (EMS) disease, along with a decrease in supply by about 50%.

Shipments would decline from an annual average of 350,000 tonnes, according to Somsak Paneetatayasai, president of Thai Shrimp Association . He added that supply may also fall about 50% from normal production of 500,000 tonnes per year.

The United Nation's Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) has identified EMS or Acute Hepatopancreatic Necrosis Syndrome (AHPNS), which poses no risk to human health but has ravaged two popular species of shrimp - the giant tiger prawn and white leg shrimp.

The disease has killed cultivated shrimp in several countries in Asia where a million people depend on this type of aquaculture for their living, according to a report on the website of FAO. Asia produced three million tonnes of shrimp with a value of US$13.3 billion in 2011, it said. The industry is showing signs of recovery after hatcheries, farmers and the government worked to stop the disease spreading, said Somsak.

"We're seeing some encouraging signs that the outbreak is abating and shrimp supply in the second half of this year will rebound significantly," he said. "Farmers are more cautious in starting hatcheries again and this will make it difficult to boost shrimp output to the level before the disease started spreading."

Thai companies are considering importing prawns and related products including frozen ones from Ecuador, India and Vietnam to help meet local demand, according to the Thai Frozen Foods Association. While Thai Union Frozen Products Pcl (TUF) expects earnings to decline in 2013 due to the disease, business should start to recover in the second half, TUF president, Thiraphong Chansiri, said last month.