The U.S. imported 153.1 million pounds, or 69,452 metric tons (MT) of shrimp in January, up from the 143.1 million pounds (64,929 MT) it imported in January 2020.
The increase is a sign that U.S. shrimp imports will be on track for another all-time record, as 2020 was a record year even as the COVID-19 pandemic hurt shrimp sales through foodservice venues and affected supply chains.
India sent 60.5 million pounds of shrimp (27,458 MT) to the U.S. in January, down from the 62.2 million pounds (28,231 MT) it shipped in January 2020, according to the latest NOAA import figures. Indian shrimp exporters have complained that shipping costs have been sky-high so far this year, and if that continues, the country’s shrimp export value might fall by around 15 percent this financial year, according to Seafood Exporters of India Secretary-General Elias Sait.
“We have had quite a few problems this year, beginning with COVID-19. Then, we had rains that affected shrimp production and now, we have problems with container availability,” Sait told India’s MoneyControl news site.
Grobest Feeds Corporation Director S Chandrasekar said Indian farms are still recovering from a particularly difficult outbreak of white spot syndrome virus and from flooding.
“The WSSV was severe this year,” he told MoneyControl “The South-West monsoon got extended, while the North-East monsoon has already led to cyclones, leading to inundation of shrimp farms in Prakasam and Nellore districts of Andhra Pradesh.”
Indonesia helped to fill the gap left by India’s lowered output, improving its U.S. export total over January 2020 to 35.4 million pounds (16,067 MT) in the month, up from 29.2 million pounds (13,239 MT) a year ago.
Also bettering its performance was Ecuador, which has shifted its shrimp exports to the U.S. after encountering difficulty with COVID-19-related inspection slowdowns in its primary market of China.
Ecuador sent 20.9 million pounds (9,464 MT) of shrimp to the U.S. in January 2021, up from 18.6 million pounds (8,426 MT) in January 2020.
Vietnam also increased the amount of shrimp it exported to the U.S. year-over-year, shipping 13.1 million pounds (5,943 MT) this January, compared to 9 million pounds (4,073 MT) in January 2020. Political and corporate leaders in Vietnam, including Minh Phu CEO le Van Quang, are making a push to make the country the world’s largest shrimp producer and processor.
Thailand exported the fifth-most amount of shrimp to the U.S. in January at 7.9 million pounds (3,565 MT); Mexico ranked sixth at 4.4 million pounds (2,010 MT); Argentina was seventh with 4 million pounds (1,805 MT); and China was eighth with 2.3 million pounds (1,040 MT) of shrimp exports to the U.S.
Photo courtesy of Foodio/Shutterstock
