Bangkok: Prime Minister Nattapong Weerasethakul chaired a Shadow Cabinet meeting to address Malaysia's temporary suspension of imports of five shrimp species from Thailand. He criticized the Thai government for its lack of response to the issue. Decharat Krea-ngam emphasized the need for urgent government action within the next 10 days to prevent shrimp from remaining in ponds. The President of the Thai Shrimp Association insisted that waiting beyond 15 days is unacceptable and proposed negotiating for relaxed border controls and safety checks, alongside an 11-project plan worth 5.5 billion baht to tackle the issue.
According to Thai News Agency, following the 5th shadow cabinet meeting of the People's Party, Mr. Nattapong Ruangpanyawut, a party-list MP and party leader, outlined three meeting agendas. The first two focused on trade barriers, including Malaysia's temporary suspension of shrimp imports from Thailand since June 1st. Shrimp farmers' associations participated, and urgent proposals are to be submitted to the government.
Mr. Ekaphon Yodpinit, President of the Thai Shrimp Association, highlighted the crisis impacting the Thai shrimp industry due to Malaysia's trade barriers and their import of cheap Malaysian sea bass to Thailand. The Department of Fisheries is working to resolve these issues. The trade barriers affect aquaculture and trawling, with postponed negotiations with Malaysia adding to the uncertainty. He stressed that waiting more than 15 days is unacceptable, although he expects a return to normalcy by the month's end during the high season.
The president also emphasized the need for negotiations to reopen border checkpoints with relaxed restrictions, ensuring consumer protection through food safety inspections. He noted the decline of the Thai shrimp market from 100 billion baht annually to 40 billion baht. He proposed 11 projects worth 5.5 billion baht to address the issue from upstream to downstream, emphasizing the urgency due to disease, war, and low foreign orders, which he termed a "three-tsunami."
Mr. Decharat Sukkamnerd, a member of the Shadow Cabinet working group, outlined four key conclusions: the next 10 days are critical for government action to prevent a collapse in shrimp prices; negotiations with Malaysia must push for leniency; the government has not systematically assessed the impact; and measures to absorb surplus production are commendable.
"But we shouldn't be fixated on 400 tons per month. We must ensure the shrimp supply chain in the South returns to normal, coupled with negotiations for a swift relaxation of restrictions. If this is done, the damage in the southern region will be limited. However, if it cannot be done within 10 days, the damage will spread and affect the next shrimp farming season," Mr. Decharat said.
Mr. Decharat also mentioned the need to follow up on whether proposals will be included in the 2027 budget plan and if the Supply Chain Management Committee, or Chipboard, needs to convene as a main mechanism for resolving the marine shrimp issue on a national scale.
In closing, Mr. Nattapong stated that misinformation has hindered the government's ability to implement effective measures to address the problems.