Ecuadorian shrimp exports surge in June amid US, Europe demand

Ecuadorian shrimp exports soared 17.51% year over year in June, to 126,074 mt, reaching a record high for the month, amid increased shipments to the US and Europe, according to figures from the National Aquaculture Chamber, or CNA.

June 2025 was also the second-largest shrimp export volume in history, second only to May 2025, when exports from the country totaled 151,521 mt.

Shrimp sales to China, the biggest consumer of Ecuadorian shrimp, reached 65,855 mt in June, a growth of 6.3% year over year.

Meanwhile, sales to the US rose by 43.72%, to 21,388 mt. The country's share of Ecuadorian exports increased from 13.9% in June 2024 to 17% in June 2025.

Some US shrimp importers have been trying to diversify their sourcing amid uncertainty regarding tariffs on India, the country's biggest supplier of shrimp, sources said. The Trump administration initially threatened India with 26% tariffs in April, later applied a 25% tariff on Aug. 1, and now has increased the tariffs to 50% as of the latest executive order on Aug. 6.

"Importers of Indian shrimp are really upset, feeling that uncertainty is going to hurt their business," a US importer said. "While they feel that the 50% tariff is not definitive, instability in knowing where this all plays out really hurts relationships with customers," the source added.

According to the same importer, Ecuadorian producers are not able to completely fill the gap from India, since there are limits to expanding the capacity of value-added products, which are the main imported shrimp products in the US.

Moreover, demand for Ecuadorian shrimp has been high in Europe, a region to which Ecuador has also been increasing shipments.

Exports to Europe rose to 28,617 mt during the month, up 41.9% from June 2024. Spain was the main destination on the continent, taking 7,549 mt, up 35.7% year over year.

In the first half of 2025, Ecuador shipped 719,154 mt of shrimp, a growth of 16.7% from the same period in 2024. The figure was mostly influenced by increased shipments to Europe, which rose 37.7% to 158,547 mt.

Exports to China rose by 7.7% to 358,277 mt, while sales to the US increased by 13.1% to 134,401 mt.

Despite the strong figures from January to June, exporters expect a sharp decrease in shrimp exports to be reflected in July's figures, compared with June, as production in the country is lower because of the cooler weather.

According to packers, bookings have been dwindling in recent weeks as international prices have not increased in the same proportion as raw materials costs.

The Platts Ecuador Shrimp Marker was assessed at $5,100/mt FCA Guayaquil on Aug. 7, steady from the previous day, but up by $10 from July 31.

Platts is a part of S&P Global Commodity Insights.