Commerce Ministry seeks new markets for Thai shrimp after Malaysia ban

The Ministry of Commerce has stepped in to help southern shrimp farmers by securing new markets and negotiations under the frameworks of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and ASEAN, after Malaysia temporarily banned imports of five shrimp species from Thailand, effective June 1, out of safety concerns.

The banned species brown tiger prawn, giant tiger prawn, banana shrimp, blue shrimp and white leg shrimp.

Representatives of southern shrimp farmers suspect, however, that the Malaysian ban is not due to health concerns, but is retaliation after the Thai Fisheries Department recently tightened screening of sea bass from Malaysia, following the discovery of chemical and antibiotic residues.

Goranij Nonejuie, spokesman for the Commerce Ministry, said today that the Malaysian import ban was sudden and caught Thai officials off-guard because they were not notified in advance or given a chance to explain.

He said that the Malaysian side sent a notification, via the Malaysian Embassy in Bangkok, on May 28, addressed to the Thai Foreign Ministry, with an enclosed copy addressed to the Thai agriculture minister.

Goranij explained that the Thai Agriculture Ministry has imposed screening measures, from light to intensive, on imported sea bass from Malaysia since late last year after chemical and antibiotic residues were found in the fish.

He insisted that Malaysian authorities were involved in all stages of the screening procedure, adding that the Fisheries Department and the National Bureau of Agricultural Commodity and Food Standards will hold an urgent meeting to address the problem and the Commerce Ministry will raise the issue at the WTO and ASEAN forums.

300-400 tonnes of Thai shrimp, worth about 44 million baht, are usually exported to Malaysia each month.

To ease the grievances of shrimp farmers, Goranij said the Commerce Ministry has assigned its agencies, both abroad and locally, to secure new markets for Thai shrimp, hopefully to absorb about 400 tonnes of shrimp per month.

In order to secure new markets, the International Trade Promotion Department plans to attend trade expos in China, Japan and the United States.

Commerce Minister Suphajee Suthumpun has reportedly offered an assurance that the ministry will be able to find new markets to compensate for the loss of exports to Malaysia.