(vasep.com.vn) In 2012, EU imported nearly US$4.5 billion of shrimp products, down over 30.5 percent compared to that of 2011. This was the sharpest drop since 1995.
Deepening Euro-area recession and rising consumer prices coupled with the austerity measures in some countries have affected the EU shrimp market.
EU imports from main sources saw significant fall in 2012. Ecuador – the largest supplier – got 13.9 percent decrease in export value from US$631.4 million in 2011 to US$543.5 million in 2012. Supplies from India and Thailand to this region also fell 11.2 percent and 35.4 percent respectively.
In 2012, Vietnam ranked seventh among main shrimp suppliers to the EU with total value of US$220 million, down 41.9 percent on that of 2011.
EU shrimp market was predicted to show no sign of improvement during the first half of 2013, as the region has been suffering impacts of economic recession and declining supplies from some main producing countries like Thailand due to shrimp disease.
According to Globefish report, after being quiet for the past few months, European shrimp market began to show signs of improvement since late February 2013. Imports from Asia is increasing.
Referring to statistics from International Trade Centre (ITC), shrimp imports into the EU totaled US$883 million between January and March 2013, down 8.4 percent from the corresponding period of 2012.
However, EU considerably increased imports from some Asian countries. In the first three months of 2013, purchase from India had a worth of US$103.7 million, up 6.59 percent from US$96.89 million in the same time of 2012. Shrimps from Bangladesh rose 7.69 percent from US$59 million to US$63.9 million.
Other shrimp suppliers such as Ecuador, Thailand and Vietnam continued seeing drop of 14.1percent, 22.7 percent and 15.1 percent respectively.
With positive growth in the first three months of 2013, India has passed Ecuador to be the leading supplier to the EU.
India and Bangladesh keep increasing exports to the region as they have more advantages than other suppliers.
Bangladesh shrimp exporters to the EU have been beneficiaries to zero-percent duty rate as the country gained EU’s Generalized System of Preferences (GSP). Whiteleg shrimp harvests of India has been increased in the recent years, helping it to broaden shares in main importing markets like the EU and the U.S. In January – March 2013, U.S. shrimp imports from India increased 69.2 percent over the same period of 2012.
Vietnam and Thailand will find hard to boost shrimp exports to the EU in 2013 when their shrimp production are still being affected by shrimp disease.