The United States imported more shrimp than ever in 2020, but it wasn’t due to added volume from India.
India increased its market share in the United States in recent years, up to a high of 40.5 percent in 2019, but its U.S. exports actually shrank in 2020 from 632.5 million pounds, or 286,902 metric tons (MT), in 2019 to 599.3 million pounds (271,831 MT) last year.
Despite COVID-19, total U.S. shrimp imports rose from 1.54 billion pounds (698,358 MT) in 2019 to 1.65 billion pounds (746,010 MT) in 2020. India’s share of that total shrunk to 36.4 percent.
Making up the difference were Ecuador, Indonesia, and Vietnam. Ecuador exported 277.4 million pounds (125,818 MT) of shrimp to the U.S. in 2020, up significantly from the 182.7 million pounds (82,869 MT) it sent in 2019. Indonesia sent 354.4 million pounds (160,744 MT), up from the 293.6 million pounds (133,163 MT) it delivered to the U.S. in 2019. And Vietnam shipped 144.3 million pounds (65,459 MT), up from the 123.1 million pounds (55,869 MT) it exported to the U.S. in 2019.
Argentina also recorded a year-over-year bump, shipping 38.2 million pounds (17,340 MT) of shrimp to the U.S. in 2020 versus 29 million pounds (13,155 MT) in 2019.
Thailand, Mexico, and China each had lower U.S. shrimp export totals in 2020. Thailand’s drop was small – it sent 89.3 million pounds (40,510 MT) versus 93.3 million pounds (42,309 MT) in 2019 – but Mexico’s drop was more significant and China’s approached 50 percent year-over-year. Mexico sent 56.6 million pounds (25,654 MT) in 2020, down from 65.1 million pounds (29,547 MT) a year before, and China shipped 24 million pounds, a sharp drop-off from the 44.3 million pounds it sent in 2019, and down from U.S. shrimp exports of 112 million pounds (50,814 MT) in 2018.
Peru’s shrimp exports to the U.S. remained steady in 2020, hitting 16.2 million pounds (7,340 MT) in 2020, nearly identical to the 7,357 MT figure it posted in 2019
Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh, and Greenland all recorded sizeable gains over their 2019 figures; while Guyana, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, and Venezuela all experienced drop-offs, but none reached more than 3,000 MT of U.S. exports.
Photo courtesy of NazaBasirun/Shutterstock
