The government of Thailand is still to decide on whether to allow the resuming of shrimp import from India (and from Malaysia).
Thailand accounts for about 13 per cent of the $1.7-billion (Rs13 bn) of Indian seafood export to Southeast Asia. The region has a share of about 30 per cent of the $5.7-bn Indian seafood export market. “We have checked that the notification remains unchanged for now but there have been consultations with stakeholders to revise it and facilitate the trade,” the Thai consulate at Chennai recently informed the Utkal Chamber of Commerce and Industry (UCCI) in an e-mail.
Last year, Thailand had suspended issue of import licences for five categories of shrimp, to prevent the spread of Infectious Myonecrosis, apparently on guidelines of the World Organization for Animal Health. “Thailand has been a traditional partner of Indian seafood. CP Aquaculture of Thailand was responsible for introducing aquaculture in the state of Odisha in the early 90s,” said Rajen Padhi, seafood consultant and director-general of UCCI.
The quality of Indian seafood products has also been doubted by the European Union (EU), third largest market for Indian exporters.
The EU had sent an audit team to inspect the facilities here; use of antibiotics in Indian shrimp had surfaced continuously. It is also dissatisfied with the response from Indian authorities.