Indonesia’s shrimp exports slowed considerably in August after growing throughout most of the year, according to the latest reports from ShrimpInsights.
ShrimpInsights site owner and chief analyst Willem van der Pijl attributed August’s decline to the “impact of new U.S. tariffs,” which he said had finally worked their way through the market.
“Until July, exports had grown consistently, supported by robust demand from the U.S., Japan, and Europe. August’s contraction marks a turning point, with exporters starting to redirect volumes away from the U.S. towards other key markets,” van der Pijl said.
Total exports in August were down to 14,862 metric tons (MT), a 19-percent drop year over year, and a 15-percent decline from July 2025. Despite decline in exports in August exports from January to August were still up 8 percent year over year, at 137,647 MT.
Export value was less affected by the lower volumes in August. It hit USD 138 million (EUR 119 million) in August, a 3 percent year-over-year decline, and USD 1.8 billion (EUR 1.6 billion) for the period spanning January to August, a 19 percent year-over-year increase.
Van der Pijl said that the overall growth in export value was due to “stronger prices and a more favorable product mix earlier in the year,” when Indonesia saw serious growth in volumes (up to 18,988 MT in February, a 38 percent year over year increase).
Despite tariffs taking effect, the U.S. was still the biggest import market for Indonesian shrimp. That said, the volume of shrimp exported to the U.S. declined over the course of the summer, from 10,762 MT in July to 8,813 MT in August. Volumes in August represented a dramatic 30 percent year-over-year decline. Thanks to the high volumes of exports earlier in the year, however, total exports from January to August still reached 89,228 MT, a 4 percent year-over-year increase.
Van der Pijl’s assessment was that “August marked the first clear sign of disruption from US tariffs, with Indonesia’s shipments to its primary market down sharply.”
“September exports will most likely drop further due to tariffs, and on top of that, the impact of the contaminated shrimp case relating to one of Indonesia’s largest exporters,” he said.
Asked by SeafoodSource if any of August’s decline could be attributed to radioactivity-contaminated shrimp from one of Indonesia’s largest U.S. suppliers, van der Pijl said no. Thanks to supply chain time lags, that decline would not be apparent till September, he said.
“BMS represents around 20 percent of exports, so I would expect at least a drop of around 30 percent if you combine radioactive and tariff impact” in September, he said.
