A local kidnapping incident in China, involving two seafood dealers who were kidnapped by shrimp farmers, has highlighted the problem in the sector over lack of payment by middle-men.
As reported on local TV, two shrimp dealers were rescued by police at a toll booth in Anhui Province after being kidnapped by farmers in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province and driven towards the farmers’ hometown of Langxi (in Anhui Province). A toll booth attendant raised the alarm after seeing a frightened passenger in the back of the farmers’ van.
Debt remains a problem in China, where shrimp farmers are under pressure to pay back feed suppliers, who typically sell on credit. In many cases, feed firms are also shrimp processors, and in those cases farmers are contracted to supply shrimp to the company in return for feed discounts.
According to Anhui TV, the shrimp dealers paid the debt and no charges have yet been laid against the farmers.
