Indonesia becomes 2nd largest supplier of shrimp to US

Indonesia's shrimp exports to the United States in the first quarter reached to 14,405 tons, making it the second biggest supplier of shrimp after Thailand whose export was 39,128 tons, according to the secretary general of the Indonesian Aquaculture Society (MAI).

The rise of Indonesia's shrimp export to the United States was prompted by the zero tax import facility provided by the US government to Indonesia, Secretary General of the society Agung Sudaryono was quoted by Antara news agency as saying on Friday.

Scores of Indonesia's competitor countries such as India and Thailand must pay 7 percent import tax as the United States accused them of selling shrimp at dumped prices, he said.

The secretary general said that Indonesia's shrimp exports to the United States last year rose to 46,966 tons from 16,028 tons in 1999.

The United States totally imported 125,157 tons of shrimp in the first three months of 2005, Sudaryono said.

Other suppliers of shrimp to the United States are China, India, Vietnam, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, Ecuador, Venezuela, and Bangladesh.

The secretary general said that the US shrimp imports are expected to surge to around 600,000 tons this year.

Source: Xinhua