The United States imported 11.7 percent less shrimp in January 2019 than it had a year previously, according to newly released NOAA data.
The U.S. imported 119,854 metric tons (MT) of shrimp in January, down from 135,751 MT in January 2018, a difference of 15,897 MT. Despite the lower overall total, India upped its monthly import total to 21,566 MT in January, an increase from 20,145 a year prior.
China, meanwhile, saw its shrimp exports to the U.S. plunge from 5,434 MT in January 2018 to 1,715 MT in January 2019, a decrease of 217 percent.
Thailand and Ecuador also saw dramatic drops from their previous totals. Thailand exported 8,214 MT of shrimp to the U.S. in January, down from 12,206 MT in January 2018, or 48.6 percent. Ecuador exported 11,333 MT of shrimp to the U.S. in January, a decrease of 38.5 percent from its 15,692 MT in January 2018.
Indonesia experienced an 11.8 percent drop in its shrimp exports to the U.S., moving from 26,347 MT to 23,559 MT year-over-year.
Vietnam, Mexico, and Argentina saw upticks in their shrimp export totals, with Vietnam increasing its shipments to the U.S. from 9,010 MT to 9,277 MT year-over-year in January; Mexico moving from 2,490 MT to 2,711 MT; and Argentina growing from 1,719 MT to 2,215 MT.
