India exported nearly 66.3 million pounds of shrimp (30,070 metric tons) to the United States in July 2021, despite significant hurdles created by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Its July shrimp exports to the U.S. were up nearly 25 percent year-over-year from its July 2020 total of 53.1 million pounds, or 24,095 metric tons (MT). Its total nearly doubled that of the second-placed U.S. shrimp supplier, Ecuador, which shipped 39.2 million pounds (17,756 MT) in July 2021 – a figure that itself was up from 31.3 million pounds (14,212 MT) in July 2020.
Thus far in 2021, India has sent 381.9 million pounds, or 173,213 MT, of shrimp to the U.S.; up 27.6 percent on the 299.2 million pounds (135,699 MT) it had exported to the U.S. between January and July 2020.
Ecuador has had an even more impressive upturn, increasing its U.S. shrimp exports more than 72 percent, from 138.2 million pounds (62,668 MT) between January and July 2020 to 238.2 million pounds (108,026 MT) thus far in 2021.
Third-place Indonesia also hit the 100,000-metric-ton mark in July 2021, having exported 221.2 million pounds (100,345 MT) in the first seven months of 2021. That’s up nearly 12 percent from the 197.6 million pounds (89,630 MT) it sent to the U.S. between January and July 2020. Indonesia sent 25.3 million pounds (11,462 MT) of shrimp to the U.S. in July, down slightly from the 26.9 million pounds (12,209 MT) it sent in July 2020.
No other country is close to the 100,000 MT mark, with fourth-placed Vietnam having sent 89.1 million pounds (40,403 MT) thus far in 2021 – up from 60.9 million pounds (27,621 MT) at the same point in 2020. Vietnam exported 19.9 million pounds (9,034 MT) of shrimp to the U.S. in July 2021, up nearly 40 percent from its July 2020 total of 14.3 million pounds (6,473 MT).
Fifth-place Thailand has actually seen its U.S. shrimp exports drop in 2021, from 42.8 million pounds (19,432 MT) between January and July 2020 to 41.1 million pounds (18,635 MT) so far in 2021.
Mexico’s shrimp trade with the U.S. continues to be damaged by a U.S. embargo on its wild-caught products, and its monthly total in July dropped to 1 million pounds (456 MT) from 3.1 million pounds (1,391 MT) in the same month a year ago.
Argentina and China were the only other two countries to surpass more than 1,000 MT of shrimp exports to the U.S. in July, but just barely so – Argentina sent 1,043 MT (2.3 million pounds) and China shipped 1,109 MT (2.4 million pounds).
Photo courtesy of Witaker/Shutterstock
