Malaysia moved to suspend imports of five Thai shrimp species from June 1, raising fears of oversupply and falling farm-gate prices, especially in the South, reported the Nation (https://www.nationthailand.com/business/trade/40066882)
Thai shrimp farmers have called for urgent government intervention after Malaysia announced a temporary suspension of imports of five Thai shrimp species, warning that the short-notice measure could disrupt a key export market and push down farm-gate prices, especially in the South.
Ekkapoj Yodpinit, president of the Thai Shrimp Association, and Aphichit Warakit, secretary- general of the Thai Shrimp Farmers Alliance, submitted a letter to Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, seeking immediate help for shrimp farmers and coastal fishermen.
The appeal came after Malaysia moved to tighten controls on imports of aquatic products from Thailand, including a temporary suspension of five shrimp species (from black tiger shrimp, whiteleg shrimp, banana shrimp, brown shrimp and blue shrimp) from June 1. Ekkapoj said the decision had caused serious concern across Thailand’s shrimp production sector because Malaysia is one of the country’s key export markets.
Thailand exports an average of 6,000-8,000 tonnes of shrimp to Malaysia each year, accounting for about 5% of total Thai shrimp exports, according to the shrimp groups.
The Malaysian market is particularly important for shrimp produced in southern Thailand, as it absorbs output from both aquaculture and coastal fisheries without requiring producers to transport goods to the Central region. Ekkapoj said the market also plays an important role in supporting shrimp prices when demand slows.
They warned that if shipments cannot proceed, shrimp supply may build up in Thailand and put pressure on farm-gate prices. A previous report also warned that the import suspension could cause direct revenue losses for Thai exporters and lead to domestic oversupply, forcing farmers and exporters to urgently divert shrimp to other markets or the local market.
The Thai Shrimp Association and the Thai Shrimp Farmers Alliance, which together represent 19 farmers’ organisations, urged the government to negotiate with Malaysia to ease the measure or delay its enforcement. Malaysia’s import suspension has been described as a reciprocal trade measure after Thailand previously imposed similar conditions on Malaysian shrimp imports. The suspension will continue until Thai agencies submit completed responses to a food-safety standards questionnaire for reassessment by Malaysian authorities.
The shrimp groups also urged the Agriculture and Cooperatives Ministry to quickly establish appropriate procedures for inspections and food-safety certification for sea bass imports. They said the process should be designed carefully so it is not viewed as a trade barrier, which could risk triggering further trade retaliation against Thai shrimp products.
Malaysia’s Agriculture and Food Security Ministry imposed new rules for Thai sea bass, operators where they are required to attach a Certificate of Analysis (CoA) to every import shipment to confirm compliance with Malaysian food-safety standards.
The shrimp groups also proposed that the government introduce urgent measures to absorb shrimp output affected by Malaysia’s temporary import suspension. They said this would help prevent farm-gate shrimp prices from falling sharply and reduce the impact on small-scale farmers. They are ready to cooperate fully with the government to resolve the issue and minimise damage to Thai shrimp farmers as quickly as possible
The Ministry said the temporary restriction involved the shrimp species, according to Bernama News. “The restriction on shrimp would remain in place until the Thai authorities submitted a complete official response to the questions issued by Malaysia, and was subject to further evaluation by the Malaysian authorities based on the response,” It added that the measure was aimed at strengthening national food safety controls, particularly to ensure that seabass and shrimp entering the local market complied with established safety and quality standards.
