India, Ecuador, and Indonesia all continued to grow their shrimp exports to the United States in February 2022.
India sent 50.4 million pounds, or 22,868 metric tons (MT) of shrimp to the U.S. in February, up from 44 million pounds (19,945 MT) in February 2021. Ecuador shipped 35.6 million pounds (16,168 MT) in the month, up from 24.7 million pounds (11,207 MT) a year prior. Indonesia sent 31.2 million pounds (14,176 MT) in February, an increase over the 21.5 million pounds (9,749 MT) it sent in February 2021.
Product from those three countries presented the vast majority of the shrimp sent to the U.S. in February 2022, which reached 145.7 million pounds (66,091 MT) in total, up from 116.3 million pounds (52,750 MT) of shrimp exported to the U.S. in February 2021.
Vietnam also upped its shipments to the U.S. hitting 10.4 million pounds (4,706 MT) of shrimp sent to the U.S. in the month, up from 9.4 million pounds (4,260 MT) in the same a year before. Thailand sent 6.5 million pounds (2,963 MT) of shrimp, up from 3.9 million pounds (1,788 MT) a year before.
Mexico sent 4.5 million pounds (2,021 MT) of shrimp in February 2022, up from 3.9 million pounds (1,784 MT) in February 2021. Argentina exported 2.5 million pounds (1,142 MT) of shrimp to the U.S. in February 2022, down from 3.1 million pounds in February 2021.
No other country exported more than 1,000 MT of shrimp to the U.S. in February 2022.
It was the second month in a row the top six exporters of shrimp to the United States all posted significantly higher year-over-year totals.
The United States continues to ramp up its imports of shrimp overall. In January, the U.S. imported 172.7 million pounds (78,356 MT) of shrimp in January, up from 153.1 million pounds (69,452 MT) in January 2021. In February 2021, the U.S. imported 116.3 million pounds (52,750 MT) of shrimp.
It imported a record amount of shrimp in 2020, then surpassed that record last year.
Photo courtesy of Phensri Ngamsommitr/Shutterstock
