Thai Trade Centre for US urges government agencies and private enterprises to solve problem of EMS before it is too late.
Louisiana senators are attempting to push through a bill against the import of shrimp with early mortality syndrome (EMS), which is currently spreading across globe, in a bid to protect the US shrimp industry.
The bill was not ratified during a Senate meeting in May and US senators have been instructed to conduct a public hearing before proposing the bill again at the next Senate meeting.
“The US is the largest export market for Thai shrimp. If the US passes this bill, the Thai shrimp industry would be directly affected as some areas in Thailand have not yet been able to clear up the EMS problem," warned Pichalai Siripanich, senior director to the Thai Trade Centre in Los Angeles.
She urged government agencies and private enterprises to solve the problem to ensure that Thailand won't suffer if the new law is passed, reported the website NationMultimedia.com.
A number of countries, including the Philippines and Mexico, have banned shrimp imports from countries where EMS has been found.
Louisiana state also wants to protect its domestic industry from growing annual imports of foreign shrimp.
However, restaurants in Louisiana are protesting the law as it could cause a hike in shrimp prices and a supply shortage in the local market. Louisiana has relied heavily on shrimp imports from Thailand, China, Malaysia, Vietnam, India, and Ecuador.
According to data from the International Trade Promotion Department, the US imported 77.4 tonnes of Thai frozen shrimp, worth US$665 million (Bt20.63 billion) last year, accounting for 20 percent of total US shrimp imports.
The US also imported 55 percent of Thai shrimp products, worth a total of $506 million last year, accounting for 50 percent of total US shrimp imports.
However, Thai shrimp exports to the US in the first four months of this year declined by 21 percent in volume to $153 million. Market share of frozen Thai shrimp in the US also fell from 20 percent last year to 15 percent in the first four months of this year.