Local shrimp price steady over last six months

PUTRAJAYA: The price of local vannamei shrimps has remained steady at RM60 per kilogram (kg) over the past six months, said Agriculture and Food Industry Deputy Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Hamzah.

"This is evidence of robust domestic demand. With the introduction of vannamei over the past decade, shrimps have become more affordable across (all) income levels," he said at the opening of SHRIMP 2022: World Shrimp Trade Conference and Exhibition here today.

According to statistics from both the Department of Fisheries and the Department of Statistics, total shrimp production in Malaysia reached 135,659 metric tonnes (MT) in 2020, of which 36 per cent comprised farmed shrimps.

"Nearly 90 per cent of farmed shrimps are the whiteleg vannamei which mostly enter the domestic market," he said.

Ahmad said shrimp consumption per capita increased from 2.33 kg in 2004 to 3.91 kg in 2012, indicating a substantial growth in supply and demand with vannamei as the main product.

Meanwhile, he said Malaysia's shrimp exports rose by 23.6 per cent to 38,689 MT in 2021 from 29,819 MT in the previous year.

-- BERNAMA