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Government urged to restore Thailand’s 100bn-baht shrimp sector
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The Thai Shrimp Association has urged the government to revive Thailand’s shrimp industry in a bid to restore export earnings that once exceeded 100 billion baht a year, calling for urgent action on shrimp disease and wider export access to China and
Key facts
- This comes despite Thai shrimp’s strong reputation for quality, firm texture, distinctive taste and safety, with products described as 100% free from residues and every pond inspected before harvest.
- The association has also asked the government to resolve the closure of shrimp export routes to neighbouring Malaysia and stimulate domestic consumption through measures such as the “Thais Help Thais Plus”
- Ekapoj explained that Thailand had lost competitiveness in the US market because Thai shrimp is now around US$1 per pound more expensive than major competitors such as Ecuador and India.
- However, after Thailand lost its Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) privileges and faced tariffs of 14-21%, the country lost almost the entire market to Vietnam, which gained an advantage through its own FTA.
- The measure took effect on June 1, 2026, after Thailand tightened staged inspections on imported sea bass from Malaysia following findings by Thai authorities that chemical and antibiotic residues had been detected in Malaysian sea bass.
Summary
The association has also asked the government to resolve the closure of shrimp export routes to neighbouring Malaysia and stimulate domestic consumption through measures such as the “Thais Help Thais Plus” programme.
Ekapoj Yodpinit, president of the Thai Shrimp Association, warned that Thai shrimp exports to key markets such as the United States and Japan began to slow in the first half of the year.