Thailand is expected to produce 300,000 metric tons (MT) of shrimp in 2023, up 7.1 percent from the estimated 280,000 MT in 2022, according to Thai Shrimp Associaiton President Ekapoj Yodpinit said.
Prolonged bouts with shrimp diseases and unfavorable weather conditions hurt the industry in 2022, but will not set the industry back significantly in 2023, Yodpinit told the Bangkok Post.
Thailand is set to produce 283,000 MT of vannamei shrimp in 2023, an increase of 7.2 percent from the expected 264,000 MT in 2022, in addition to 17,000 MT of black tiger shrimp, up 6.3 percent year-on-year, the Thai Shrimp Association said.
Thailand’s shrimp production in 2022 reached 280,000 MT, unchanged from 2021, with vannamei output edging down 1 percent year-on-year and black tiger shrimp production surging 21.2 percent year-on-year.
Through the first 10 months of 2022, Thailand exported 122,208 MT of shrimp, down 5 percent year-on-year, collectively worth THB 42.8 billion (USD 1.23 billion, EUR 1.16 billion), up 9 percent from the same period in 2021, Yodpinit said. China, Japan, the U.S., the E.U., and Australia were the top five export markets for Thai shrimp.
Yodpinit said his association and other players in the industry will continue to urge the Thai government to set guidelines for the sustainable development of the country's aquaculture sector. The industry has also asked for help in dealing with shrimp diseases that have hindered development of the sector for years, he said.
“The association would like to propose all political parties prioritise the Thai shrimp industry, which generated nearly THB 100 billion [USD 2.9 billion, EUR 2.7 billion] a year in the past decade and engaged more than one million entrepreneurs and households,” Yodpinit said.
Yodpinit estimated that in 2023, global shrimp production will increase 11 percent to 4.8 million MT, with output from Central and South America likely to grow by 22 percent year-on-year to 1.83 million MT.
India, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines were also expected to see growth in shrimp production in 2022, Yodpinit predicted.
Photo courtesy of Warakorn Buaphuean/Shutterstock
