Ecuadorian shrimp the largest seafood import in Chinese market
Visitors try Chinese food made of Ecuadorian shrimp at the Shanghai International Fisheries Expo.
Ecuadorian shrimp is becoming one of the most popular imported seafood in the Chinese market, as witnessed at the 17th Shanghai International Fisheries Expo.
As one of the largest seafood exhibitions in China, the three-day expo, which closed today at the Shanghai New International Expo Center, attracted over 4,000 exhibitors from more than 30 countries and regions. With an exhibition area of 180,000 square meters, the expo welcomed some 100,000 professional visitors.
Over the past decade, Ecuador has become China's largest supplier of shrimp. In 2022, China imported 818,429 tons of white shrimp, around 70 percent of which came from Ecuador. In 2022, Ecuador sold around 60 percent of its shrimp products to China, compared to about 49 percent in 2021.
Various kinds of shrimp cuisine are displayed at the expo.
Jose Antonio Camposano, executive president of the National Chamber of Aquaculture of Ecuador
"With only one product, shrimp, Ecuador has surpassed Russia to become the top seafood importer to China," said Jose Antonio Camposano, executive resident of the National Chamber of Aquaculture of Ecuador. "For Ecuador, the industry is not only about producing exceptional shrimp, it's also about building livelihoods and sustaining communities. With around 145,000 direct jobs and a staggering 290,000 direct and indirect employment opportunities, our industry becomes the cornerstone of over 1.3 million households in Ecuador."
The shrimp is welcomed on Chinese tables for its large size, firm bite and affordable price.
According to Camposano, the white shrimp is an endemic specie of Ecuador that are naturally resistant, antibiotic-free, and produced in the world's lowest density of seven to 15 per square meter.
"Ecuador is a very small country as the farms are very close to the processing facilities. The product is harvested, and within four or five hours can be frozen packed and put into containers, so you're getting a very fresh bite," he added. "We are very good at maintaining the quality of the head, and the shrimp remains whole after cooking."
Thanks to the free trade agreement signed in May between China and Ecuador, the tariff of the shrimp has been reduced from 5 percent to 2 percent, and will be set at zero in 10 years. The price will be more affordable in the supermarkets and online retailers.
