According to data from China Customs, China’s imports of frozen warm-water shrimp (vannamei shrimp) rose 26% year-on-year to 114,000 tons in the first two months of 2022, while import value rose 51% year-on-year to $739 million during this period, as Chinese consumers’ trust in imported shrimp continues to recover.
The value of China’s imports from Ecuador, the largest supplier, reached US$518 million. In February alone, China imported 81,100 tons of Ecuadorian shrimp, accounting for 71% of China’s total imports over the same period.
In the first two months of this year, China also imported 2,900 tons of cold-water shrimp worth $12 million, including 2,866 tons worth $11.3 million from Canada, China’s largest supplier of cold-water shrimp.
In addition to the bulk import of frozen shrimp, 700 tons of live warm-water shrimp, valued at US$9 million, were imported during the same period, mainly from Thailand.
The average unit value of Chinese shrimp imports has been increasing as global shrimp prices have risen. Shrimp imports averaged $6.30 per kilo in February, up 21 percent from February 2021.
