TWO ministries are urgently implementing 13 measures to absorb 400 tons of shrimp a month after Malaysia imposed a temporary import ban on five Thai shrimp species as part of tighter controls on Thai fishery products, PPTVHD36 said today (June 7).
Thailand is prepared to raise this issue with the World Trade Organisation and Asean forums if necessary.
Shrimp farmers urged the government to urgently stabilise prices of their product and expedite negotiations with Malaysia which as of June 1 has banned the import of brown tiger prawn, banana prawn, whiteleg shrimp, giant tiger prawn and blue shrimp.
In keeping with Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul’s directive, Commerce and Agriculture & Cooperatives ministries are opening new markets in China aside from stimulating domestic consumption in order to stabilise farm-gate prices and mitigate the impact on shrimp farmers.
Ms. Rachada Thanadirek, spokesperson for the Prime Minister’s Office, said following Malaysia’s temporary suspension of imports of five shrimp species from Thailand both the ministries have urgently worked out measures to alleviate the impact on shrimp farmers with these including both immediate and long-term solutions.
Anutin prioritises prevention of farm-gate shrimp prices from falling and managing potential production impact because the shrimp industry involves farmers, processing plants and exporters, thus collectively has a large workforce.
Short-term measures to absorb 400 tons of shrimp per month, which is close to the average 300-400 tons monthly export volume to Malaysia, or approximately 44 million baht per month, include targeting both domestic and export markets.
The Department of International Trade Promotion will accelerate opening markets through activities in China, including “Top Thai Brands” events in Kunming and Xiamen, and “Thailand Week” festival in Dalian and Lanzhou.
Additionally, there will be online business matching with Thai shrimp to also be promoted at the global food trade fair SIAL.
In tandem with overseas marketing is stimulating domestic consumption through “Hroy Rim Rae” event in Phuket, coordinating with local department stores in tourist areas to open shrimp purchasing points, helping exporters, processing plants, and buyers to purchase directly from production sources, and utilising the Thai Help Thai Plus and Blue Flag projects to distribute the surplus stock.
For the long term, the Department of Fisheries and the National Agricultural and Food Standards Office will expedite discussions with Malaysian authorities to resolve the issue, while the Ministry of Commerce has instructed its Thai Trade Centre in Kuala Lumpur to closely monitor the situation.
CAPTION:
Thai shrimp. Above photo – Naewna, Front Page – PPTVHD36
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