India shrimp exports to US on a recovery
The volumes of Indian shrimp exports to the US are lower than the levels prior to the anti-dumping duties policy, but shipping volumes have made a decent recovery in the first half of 2009.
India exported 7,100 tonnes of shrimp to the US during January-June 2006 before declining to 5,900 tonnes in 2007 and 5,400 tonnes in 2008. For the first six months of 2009, exports jumped up to 8,600 tonnes.
However, India remains a small player in the US market, which is largely dominated by other countries. Thailand is the top supplier, accounting for over 31% of the US imported shrimp market at 73,367 tonnes.
Other major suppliers are Indonesia, Ecuador, China, Vietnam and Mexico. These six countries represented over 81% of imports.
India accounted for only 3.6% of US shrimp imports by volume during the first half of 2009, and consisted mainly of low value-added frozen and chilled products.