India reasserted itself as the top supplier of shrimp to the United States with an impressive export total in May 2021.
India has led all other countries in its shrimp exports to the U.S. for the past five years, but its total volume shipped to the U.S. in 2020 actually declined from 632.5 million pounds, or 286,902 metric tons (MT), in 2019 to 599.3 million pounds (271,831 MT) last year. At the same time, Ecuador and Indonesia have drastically upped their volumes sent to the U.S.
But in May, India sent 63.9 million pounds, or 31,972 metric tons (MT) of shrimp to the U.S., according to the latest trade figures released by NOAA. That total is up 272 percent from the 17.2 million pounds, or 8,600 MT, India sent to the U.S. in May 2020, near the height of the global COVID-19 crisis.
India has now sent 235.3 million pounds (117,634 MT) of shrimp to the U.S. thus far in 2021, up 18 percent from the 199.4 million pounds (99,722 MT) it shipped between January and May 2020. The January-May 2021 figure is far ahead of second-place Indonesia, at 150.6 million pounds (75,280 MT), and Ecuador, at 135.4 million pounds (67,722 MT).
Nonetheless, Indonesia still posted a solid month of exports in May, shipping 34.5 million pounds (17,235 MT) of shrimp to the U.S., up from 26 million pounds (13,006 MT) sent in May 2020. Ecuador also boosted its year-over-year total from 11.6 million pounds (5,773 MT) in May 2020 to 33.7 million pounds (16,849 MT) in May 2021 – an increase of 192 percent.
Overall, the United States has imported 652.2 million pounds (326,074 MT) of shrimp thus far in 2021, up more than 26 percent from the 515.2 million pounds (257,601 MT) it imported between January and May 2020. In May alone, the U.S. imported 112 percent more shrimp year-over year, from 75.6 million pounds (37,814 MT) to 160.6 million pounds (80,327 MT) between January and May 2021.
Three other countries exported more than 1,000 MT of shrimp to the U.S. in May 2021 – Vietnam, Thailand, and Argentina. Vietnam sent 12.3 million pounds (6,151 MT), Thailand exported 5.8 million pounds (2,878 MT), and Argentina shipped 2.7 million pounds (1,351 MT).
Photo courtesy of Poring Studio/Shutterstock
