Thai Union Frozen Products (TUF) plans to build a new shrimp processing plant in India through a joint venture (JV) with Avanti Feeds, a publicly listed Indian firm in which TUF has a 25.1 percent stake.
Rittirong Boonmechote, president for the global shrimp business of TUF, told The Nation that the plant will have an annual production capacity of 15,000 metric tons (MT), compared with Avanti’s current production level of 8,000 MT per year.
TUF will invest USD 10 million to USD 20 million (EUR 9.2 million to EUR 18.4 million).
Rittirong said Thailand's shrimp output was expected to increase 20 to 25 percent to 250,000 to 275,000 MT this year, after plunging due to early mortality syndrome (EMS). The situation, Rittirong said, is making the Thai shrimp industry less competitive.
“From being the world's leader, today our output is lower than Ecuador’s,” he said.