The Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food (SAGARPA) in Mexico has reported that shrimp production in the country has increased by 65.5 percent during the last four years, largely thanks to the incentivized support of the government.
Based on preliminary statistics from the Agrifood and Fisheries Information Service (SIAP), SAGARPA said that annual shrimp production jumped from 127,537 metric tons (MT) in 2013 to 211,996 MT by the end of 2016.
Mexico is currently ranked as the ninth biggest producer of shrimp in the world – with products coming from wild capture in lagoon systems and seas, as well as through aquaculture.
Its five most important production regions are are Sinaloa, Sonora, Nayarit, Tamaulipas and Baja California Sur, which account for 92.9 percent of the total national production or 196,131 MT.
Last year, Sinaloa produced 99,015 MT of shrimp; Sonoran – 59,098 MT; Nayarit – 17,617 MT; Tamaulipas – 14,124 MT; and Baja California Sur – 6,278 MT.
Mexican shrimp is produced throughout the year, but more than half the total volume is obtained in the months of September through November.
Mexico’s per capita consumption of the crustacean is 1.7 kg.
SAGARPA also reported that Mexico’s aquaculture production is growing at an annual rate of 15 percent, reaching 337,000 MT of product in 2016. In addition to the country’s shrimp production, it also produced 117,806 MT of tilapia, 53,037 MT of oysters, 32,122 MT of carp and 8,388 MT of trout last year.
Overall, the aquaculture sector had an estimated value of MXN 35 billion (USD 1.9 billion, EUR 1.8 billion) in 2016.
