Ecuadorian shrimp may restart entering the Thai market again after Thailand lifted a year-long import ban this week, said the president of the Ecuadorian shrimp producers chamber of commerce, the National Aquaculture Chamber (CNA).  

"We know that exports will reopen this week once the Ecuadorian authorities communicate the new rules to exporters," he said.  

Export permits for Ecuadorian shrimp producers to ship their products to Thailand were suspended a year ago after Thailand announced that they had found White Spot Syndrome Virus(WSSV) and infectious hypodermal and hematopoietic necrosis virus(IHHNV) in shrimp samples from Ecuador.  

Now, Ecuadorian exporters must provide negative tests for WSSV and IHHNV for products to be exported.  Shrimp from Ecuador will be reprocessed by Thai companies before being exported to other markets.  

"This year, exports could grow again because we understand the market will open up again," he said.  It is believed that Thailand may become one of Ecuador's top five export markets in the future.  Before the ban, Thailand was Ecuador's eighth-largest market, after South Korea.  

"The Ecuadorian white shrimp industry is a growing industry, so all markets are important to us.  We value the opportunity to diversify our markets with a variety of products, so the opportunity for our company to re-engage with new customers is very exciting."  He said.  

Ecuador's global trade volume rose 50% year-on-year to £341 million in the first two months of the year, benefited from the market recovery in China, its biggest market, and continued double-digit growth in the US and Europe.  

However, its exports to Russia fell 28% in February to just over 4 million pounds.  The Russian market, Ecuador's sixth largest shrimp exporter, shone brightly in 2021, with exports to Russia rising 56% to 54 million pounds, worth 128 million dollars (114 million euros).