Quick sales of local shrimps for fear of import

TRANG, Feb 21 (TNA) -- Farmers in Palian district of Trang province are hurriedly catching their whiteleg shrimps for sales as they expects lower prices in the near future due to attempts to import shrimps from India. The movement followed the plan of the government and frozen food operators to import 50,000 tons of shrimps from India with the claim that there were not enough shrimp supplies for local consumption. Nationwide shrimp raisers protested against the policy for fear of declining prices and diseases. Whiteleg shrimps are priced at 140-188 baht per kilogram. The prices are the lowest in years. The Federation of Thai Shrimp Farmers plans to intensify protests in the near future while urging the government to support more farmers in raising shrimps and provide the farmers with finance, markets and academic knowledge in order to meet local consumption demand. Suwat Pichairat, 62-year-old shrimp farmer in Suso sub-district of Trang’s Palian district, said the shrimp import would further reduce shrimp prices and the career would become infeasible for local farmers. He said that feasible shrimp prices should stand at 140-200 baht per kilogram depending on different sizes of shrimps. He said he would join protests unless the government dropped the import plan. (TNA)