Vietnam’s shrimp export industry has been the beneficiary exports of heightened European Union inspections of Indian products.
Vietnam exported shrimp products worth USD 3.85 billion (EUR 3.12 billion) in 2017, up 22.3 percent year-on-year, with the E.U. becoming its biggest buyer. The export value that Vietnam gained from shrimp shipments to the E.U. last year jumped 43.7 percent to USD 862.8 million (EUR 699 million).
The surge in Vietnam’s shrimp export value was partly due to the E.U. increasing the frequency of inspections of Indian shrimp exports from 10 to 50 percent, starting in October 2016, following detection of antibiotics including nitrofuran and chloramphenicol in shrimp exported from India, according to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP).
Vietnam sees India, the world’s top shrimp exporter, as its major competitor in the E.U. shrimp market, VASEP added.
India’s shrimp exports suffered another setback in December 2017 when Thailand announced a three-month ban on shrimp imports from India over concerns about the spread of a highly contagious disease affecting vannamei shrimp. Thailand accounts for roughly 13 percent of Indian shrimp exports.
The move not only affected India’s shipments but also caused difficulties for shrimp processors in Thailand, which rely on input from India, VASEP said.
In addition, The Hindu reported in November last year Kuwait announced that it has imposed a ban on imports of fresh, chilled, frozen, and processed shrimp from India, citing suspected cases of diseases.
The value of Vietnam’s shrimp exports to United States, however, fell seven percent year-on-year to USD 659.2 million (EUR 534.4 million) in 2017. VASEP said Vietnam’s shrinking shipment value came as India increased shrimp exports to the U.S. to compensate for their declines in other major markets, while the U.S. imposed high anti-dumping duty against shrimp products from Vietnam.
Meanwhile, Vietnam’s shrimp export value to China saw the most rapid growth last year, rising 56.8 percent from 2016 to USD 683.2 million (EUR 553.4 million).
