Traders fear non-tariff barriers by China, one of the main buyers of Indian shrimp.
This may impact exports of other sectors also.
Indian seafood exporters fear non-tariff barriers by China, currently one of the main buyers of Indian shrimp, after India’s recent withdrawal from the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).
“They have started to check consignments for white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) which they never have done before. We suspect they are bringing the controls after India’s exit from RCEP,” said Anwar Hashim, managing director of Abad Fisheries, adding that the virus is present in almost all the shrimp producing nations except in Canada and Australia.
China has been buying directly from India this year after it cracked down on the illegal border trade with Vietnam and had cut its import tariff. Earlier, the consignment used to reach China via Vietnam. The demand for the Indian shrimp from China had gone up with a middling shrimp harvest in the country and lower output in Thailand and Indonesia.
As per reports by Globefish, the FAO information and analysis wing of fisheries and aquaculture, India and Ecuador are two top shrimp producers in the world. The report said that during January-May 2019 there have been a 600% rise in shrimp imports from India and 430% from Ecuador to China.
