India saw its shrimp export value increase slightly in July from June, but sales still fell compared to a year earlier, according to the latest data released by India’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
Exports in July were worth USD 401.5 million (EUR 340.3 million), up just 0.06 percent from June, but down 18.8 percent from the same month in 2019.
The United States remained the largest buyer of shrimp from India in terms of value, with sales reaching USD 237.1 million (EUR 201 million) in July, surging 15.6 percent from June but declining 7.4 percent year-on-year.
Japan bought the second-most amount of Indian shrimp in the month by value, reaching USD 41.6 million (EUR 35.3 million). That figure is down 15.8 percent month-on-month and down 7.9 percent from a year ago.
The value of India's shrimp exports to Vietnam rose sharply to USD 26.4 million (EUR 22.4 million) in July, up 83.6 percent from June and soaring 147.4 percent year-on-year.
However, India's shrimp exports to China – the second-largest buyer of Indian shrimp last year – dove to USD 18.84 million (EUR 16 million) in the month, a decline of 68.9 percent month-on-month and down 80.11 percent from July 2019. Indian shrimp exporters in July expressed concern after encountering difficulties in sending shipments to China amid a political standoff between the two countries related to a border dispute. At the same time, there was a noted slowdown in customs clearance in Chinese ports for shrimp shipments from India. The average checking time has gone from three to 10 days, making Chinese buyers hesitant.
Between January and July, India shipped shrimp worth USD 2.22 billion (EUR 1.88 billion), down 10.9 percent year-on-year. The export value to Japan recorded a growth of 8.43 percent to USD 171.5 million (EUR 145.4 million) in the period. The sales to the three other leading destinations all went down, with USD 1.1 billion (EUR 931.5 million) to the U.S., 9.1 percent lower year-on-year; USD 340.3 million (EUR 288.4 million) to China, down 24.9 percent; and USD 110.9 million (EUR 94 million) to Vietnam, down 11.5 percent from 2019.
Photo by Chris Chase/SeafoodSource
