Countervailing duty: A new challenge to shrimp imported into the U.S

Its allegation is that shrimp industry of these countries has been subsidized by the Government through preferential policies. According to statistics by the US Custom, seven above countries supply 85.6 percent of the total shrimp purchased by the U.S in the first ten months of 2012.

The U.S – the second largest consumer of Vietnam shrimp

The U.S took the leading position in importing Vietnam shrimp in decades. However, stronger competition from other suppliers makes the U.S become the second largest of Vietnam shrimp, after Japan.

In 2012, shrimp exports to the market saw decline in comparison with the previous year, however the market is still the second position in consuming shrimp products of Vietnam. The value from exporting shrimp to the country reached US$480 million, taking 20 percent in the total shrimp exports.

The U.S is considered as a target destination for shrimp from Vietnam in 2012 due to Ethoxyquin testing in Japan and slowdown in EU economy. The move of COGSI caused strong pressure on Vietnam shrimp exporters in the first days of the new year.

Imported shrimp currently makes up 80 – 90 percent of the total shrimp supply of the U.S.

During past ten years, farmed shrimp imported into the U.S has faced many protection campaigns by domestic shrimpers. However, shrimp import into the U.S has increased year by year to meet the demand of American consumers.

In Jan – Oct 2012, shrimp landings of the U.S only reached 98.7 million pound (44,890 MT). The volume of farmed shrimp imported into the country in the period touched 948.2 million pound (430,470 MT).

In case the U.S shrimpers are successful in their attempt to get countervailing duty, the importers and consumers in the country are directly affected by higher prices.

As the comments by the chief editor of seafood.com, the challenge for the domestic industry is not to claim their shrimp and farmed shrimp are fungible substitutes for each other, but to recognize they have a unique wild product that can stand on its own.

Vietnam – the leading supplier of large shrimp for the U.S.

In term of value, Vietnam takes the top position in supplying large shrimp HLSO (U/15) for the U.S. In Jan – Oct 2012, the country imported 7.16 million pound (3,254 MT), worth US$53.78 million. These figures are up 9.5 percent in volume and 7.2 percent in value compared to those of the previous year.

Thailand supplied the largest volume of peeled and cooked shrimp to the U.S.

Statistics by NMFS showed that Thailand was the largest supplier of peeled and cooked shrimp to the U.S in the first ten months of 2012. The country supplied 92.7 million pound (41,114 MT) of peeled shrimp in the period, valued at US$1.41 billion and 77.05 million pound, worth US$332.2 million.

China takes the leading in the U.S breaded shrimp market

Through October 2012, China caught 54.8 percent in volume and 48.4 percent in value in the supply of breaded shrimp for the U.S. According to NMFS, until October 2012, the U.S imported 37.46 million pound (17,008 MT) of breaded shrimp from China, valued at US$99.3 million.