December 27, 2011
Thai Shrimp Weekly: Shrimp exports to US shrinking (week ended Dec 22)
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Price summary
Domestic shrimp prices have slid, although slightly, on the eve of the New Year holidays when demand is supposed to be high. The price fall during this week's wholesale trading in Mahachai ranged from THB1-7/kg.
On the other hand, the buying guide from the Thai Frozen Foods Association has not changed during the week, basically for lack of activity with most processing plants preparing to close for the year-end break.
Market analysis
Though mild, this week's price slump is an indication not all is well in the country's export-dependent shrimp industry. Even before the recent Bangkok flooding, Thai shrimp exports to US, Thailand's number one market had been on the decline.
Its shrimp exports to US through the first nine months of 2011 were down 4.64% to 126,751.17 tonnes, from 132,923.82 tonnes during the same period last year, according to statistics from the Thai Frozen Foods Association. Shipments to Europe also fell 8.56% during the same period to 43,193.25 tonnes, from 47,236.18 tonnes in 2010.
The only bit of good news came from Japan, Thailand's second biggest market, where Thai shrimp export posted a 4.52% increase in the January-September 2011 period to 53,524.40 tonnes, from 55,941.53 tonnes for the same period last year.
While its imports from Thailand have been on the decline, US shrimp imports have actually been expanding. According to Siam Canadian, one of Thailand's seafood exporters, US shrimp imports through the first eight months of 2011 were up 3.5%, to almost 757 million pounds. Siam Canadian says India, China, Indonesia, Ecuador and Mexico have been the beneficiaries of this increased American importation.
In August, US shrimp imports from Mexico were up about 38 fold, to 5.6 million pounds, from August 2010. "That's because US government had banned shrimp imports from the country last year, citing some Gulf of Mexico and Sea of Cortez trawlers for improper use of turtle excluder devices (TEDs); the ban was lifted in October 2010," it said.
India also boosted its shrimp exports to US significantly in August, up 68.2%, to 15.5 million pounds, Siam Canadian added.
China also posted a big increase of 10.7% in its shrimp exports to US that month to 11.9 million pounds, while Indonesia managed an 8.8% increase to 15.2 million pounds in that same period. "The same goes for Ecuador, which posted an impressive 52.5% increase in its shrimp exports to US in August, to 16.2 million pounds," Siam Canadian adds, quoting official US sources.
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White shrimp prices (in Thai baht) at Thailand's main markets | ||||||
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Unit of Measure: Thai Bhat | ||||||
|
Shrimp size |
Mahachai seafood market |
Thai frozen foods association |
Bangkok markets | |||
|
Dec 15 |
Dec 22 |
Dec 15 |
Dec 22 |
Dec 15 |
Dec 22 | |
|
40 pcs/kg |
-- |
-- |
183.30 |
183.30 |
220-230 |
220-230 |
|
50 pcs/kg |
158 |
162 |
162.80 |
162.80 |
190-200 |
190-200 |
|
60 pcs/kg |
148 |
147 |
147.00 |
147.00 |
180-190 |
180-190 |
|
70 pcs/kg |
137 |
135 |
136.40 |
136.40 |
170-180 |
170-180 |
|
80 pcs/kg |
127 |
120 |
126.20 |
126.20 |
160-170 |
160-170 |
|
90 pcs/kg |
118 |
114 |
117.60 |
117.60 |
150-160 |
150-160 |
|
100 pcs/kg |
113 |
110 |
-- |
-- |
140-150 |
140-150 |
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Note: Farm-gate prices are THB10-15 lower than those at Mahachai market. | ||||||
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