Shrimp exports to Japan show recovery signs

In 2012, shrimp shipment to Japan witnessed a decline in many consecutive months due to Japan’s Ethoxyquin test on shrimp imports from Vietnam. Total shrimp exports from Vietnam to the market in 2012 therefore reached US$617.7 million, up only 1.7 percent from 2011.

Thanks to the efforts of competent authorities and enterprise communities in strengthening antibiotics and banned chemicals control in shrimp production and processing, Vietnam shrimp exports to Japan have been gaining gradual improvements expressed by the growth in exports from 0.7 to 19.6 percent during this year.

Japan's Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare (MHLW) decided to raise MRL of Trifluralin from 0.001ppm to 0.5 ppm, which encouraged Vietnam’s shrimp exporters to boost shrimp exports to the market.

Vietnam ranked the second, behind Thailand, in terms of supplying shrimp for Japan, occupying 18.7 percent of total shrimp supply for this market. In the first 5 months of 2013, shrimp imports into Japan from Thailand sank of 12.2 percent. In the early 2013, Thailand exporters planned to boost shrimp exports to Japan to compensate the decline in shrimp imports from Vietnam and India caused by Ethoxyquin test. However, Thailand exporters’ efforts were obstructed by disease outbreaks on shrimp that slashed the country’s shrimp production.

In the first 5 months of 2013, India was the only supplier out of top 5 largest shrimp suppliers for Japan that had the growth of 7.9 percent in shrimp exports to this market.