Thailand’s shrimp exports reached 400,000 metric tons in 2010, up 11 percent from last year, and, according to the Thai Shrimp Association, 2011’s total is expected to match 2010’s.
The announcement comes as the Thai delegation prepares for the International Boston Seafood Show next month. About 45 percent of Thailand’s shrimp exports end up in the United States. The U.S. government reported last week that U.S. shrimp imports from Thailand, by far the No. 1 supplier to the U.S. market, were up nearly 6 percent to almost 445 million pounds in 2010.
“Consumers around the world have come to trust that Thai shrimp is of the highest quality, free from contamination and meeting and exceeding safety standards, as the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration have testified,” said Rapibhat Chandarasrivongs, Thailand’s agriculture minister.
Thai shrimp exporters said they remain confident despite the threat of the additional tariffs that the United States may slap on Thai shrimp.
“Having or not having antidumping tariffs does not matter, as we have proven over the past five years that our shrimp exports remain competitive and strong in the world and the U.S. market,” Somsak Paneetatyasai, president of the Thai Shrimp Association, told the Bangkok Post earlier this month.
