August 24, 2007

Thai shrimp industry miffed at newspaper article

Thailand's shrimp associations should join with government agencies to combat misinformation, said Bunjonk Nissapawanich, president of the Thai Eastern Shrimp Farmers' Association.

Nissapawanich was referring to an article in The Wall Street Journal's Asian edition on July 25, which raised the ire of Thai farmers by insinuating their operations were poorly managed.

The article reported that Rubicon Resources, a Los Angeles-based supplier of farmed shrimp to Wal-Mart, had bought and upgraded 150 small shrimp farms in Thailand out of concern for environmental and social standards.

The article also claimed 80 percent of small independent Thai shrimp farms "lack the resources to make necessary upgrades or balk at the certification fees as costs they likely won't recover. "

Nissapawanich said it was vitally important to provide facts and correct recent misconceptions.