Export Market Ready for Belize’s Shrimp

Hugh O’Brien

According to O’Brien, a revived shrimp industry can take advantage of several export markets, including Taiwan, whose government has already expressed interest in purchasing Belize’s shrimp. O’Brien noted that of the sixteen shrimp farms that existed a decade ago, only seven are still operational. The Shrimp Industry Task Force will also seek to make recommendations on how the industry can once again expand to include more players.

Hugh O’Brien, Chairman, Shrimp Industry Task Force

“Of course, we already know that technology is going to be one component, but there are other components that we have identified that needs to be looked at. One of them for example is our market options. WE had been exporting shrimp before to numerous European countries. We were certified. The Belize Agricultural Health Authority was certified to look at these, whenever BAHA gives the shrimp farms their certification the EU would accept that like Bible and just do some audits. We also had access to the Mexican market and even Taiwan has expressed their, an Taiwan is a major importer of shrimp, they use to import shrimps from Nicaragua and because of the ties that has been severed between those two countries they have expressed interest in buying shrimp from Belize. So, in terms of looking at, are those markets accessible to us? What are some of the conditions we have to meet? And of course, some of these things come with cost implications especially at the level of BAHA.”