India exported 62,904 metric tons (MT) of shrimp in December, rising 20.5 percent compared to the same month in 2018, with the United States and China being major destinations, according to latest data released by India’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
Indiea's shrimp exports in December were worth USD 466.2 million (EUR 425.8 million), jumping 23.8 percent from the same month in 2018. That total includes USD 215 million (EUR 196.4 million) worth of shrimp sent to the U.S., up 24.5 percent year-on-year; and USD 94.8 million (EUR 86.6 million) worth of shrimp sent to China, rising by 33.4 percent year-on-year.
The U.S. was the largest buyer of shrimp from India in the month, buying 24,940 MT, up 23.3 percent year-on-year. It was followed by China with 15,762 MT, going up 26.5 percent from December 2018.
The other major export markets for shrimp from India in the month included the European Union, Vietnam, Japan, and the United Arab Emirates.
Between April and December 2019, India exported 542,737 MT of shrimp, 8.9 percent higher year-on-year. Of the total, export volumes to the U.S. stood at 227,743 MT, up 12.6 percent year-on-year and accounting for nearly 42 percent of India's total shrimp export volumes.
Shrimp exports to China in the period were 136,297 MT, jumping more than three times from 42,820 MT during April-December 2018 and accounting for 25.1 percent of the total.
Exports in the period were worth nearly USD 4 billion (EUR 3.65 billion), up 7.6 percent from the same period in 2018. The value that India earned from exports of shrimp to the U.S. was USD 1.93 billion (EUR 1.76 billion), increasing 11.3 percent year-on-year, followed by USD 797.9 million (EUR 728.7 million) from exports to China, soaring by 223.4 percent over the April-December period of 2018.
India’s strong performance of shrimp exports in the period took place on the back of rising domestic output. Its shrimp production is likely to achieve an all-time high of 900,000 MT in this financial year, up 11.9 percent year-on-year, the Economic Times reported 4 February.
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