Data show that in 2021, the aquaculture production of vannamei shrimp in Ecuador exceeded 1 million tons for the first time, reaching 1.01 million tons, a year-on-year increase of 29%. The growth trend of the Ecuadorian shrimp industry has not slowed down this year, and the industry generally expects that the output of Ecuadorian shrimp farming may reach more than 1.2 million tons in 2022.
At the Global Shrimp Forum held from September 6th to 8th, an industry expert concluded that the output of Ecuadorian shrimp may increase by 34% this year, reaching 1.35 million tons. After 2023, the output will keep increasing, however, the speed will slow down, and by 2025, the total output of the Ecuadorian shrimp industry will exceed 2 million tons.
In terms of export volume, in 2021, the total export volume of Ecuadorian shrimp products was 840,000 tons. It is expected that the export volume will reach 1.05 million tons in 2022, a year-on-year increase of 25%.
This data seems “radical”, but not exaggerated. Judging from the disclosed actual export data, in the first seven months of this year, Ecuador exported a total of 614,000 tons of vannamei shrimp products, a year-on-year increase of 34%.
In the first seven months of this year, Ecuador’s sales in China, its largest export market, reached 324,000 tons, accounting for more than 50% of its total exports aligned with the situation in previous years, except for the serious decline in the second half of 2020 due to the impact of the epidemic.
Generally speaking, the import volume of Ecuadorian shrimp in the Chinese market in the second half of the year is higher than that in the first half of the year, which has a high contribution rate to the growth of Ecuadorian shrimp exports.
The Ecuadorian government has also done a lot of work: it has communicated with relevant Chinese authorities frequently on product export issues; it has regained its qualification to enter the Thai market during the downturn of the Thai shrimp industry; it invited North American buyers to visit shrimp farms and plants in Guayaquil in July this year. And recently signed a non-disclosure agreement with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to “provide additional support for the sale of Ecuadorian fisheries and aquaculture products to the U.S. market.”