February 28, 2007

 

Indonesia's shrimp exports to major importers fell 7 percent last year

 

 

Indonesia's shrimp export to Japan, US, and Europe declined 7 percent on-year for 2006.

 

Frozen shrimp export volume to the US and Japan dropped by 8 percent and 4 percent, respectively.

 

Chairperson of the Association of Indonesian Fisheries Businesses (Gappindo) Herwindo said shrimp farms earlier last year faced various challenges, including debilitating diseases.

 

The hot mudflow in Lapindo, which swept away farms and houses, also affected shrimp farm production in East Java, and surrounding areas..

 

Tighter safety rules from countries such as EU and Japan also contributed to the fall in exports, he said.

 

The Department of Fisheries and Marine Affairs would have to work hard to improve shrimp exports this year, he remarked.

 

However, the Indonesian Shrimp Commission (KUI) said the export decline was normal since demand from major shrimp importing countries dropped in 2006.

 

It said demand for foreign shrimp fell in Japan last year.

 

However, frozen shrimp import volume from Japan last year was 229,952 tonnes, similar to that in 2005.

 

In the US, the market share of frozen imported shrimp also fell by 10 percent or 56,435 tonnes.

 

Demands from Europe for Indonesian shrimps last year rose by 10 percent. Indonesian shrimp import for Europe in 2006 hit 229,894 tonnes, up by 20,850 tons from 209,044 tons in 2005.

 

Indonesia's decrease in shrimp exports comes at a time when its competitors Vietnam, Colombia, Malaysia, and Venezuela all reported increases.