Mexican farmers urge their Govt for Honduran shrimp imports to be closed.

Mexican market opening to Honduran shrimp continues delaying

HONDURAS
Thursday, June 07, 2018, 23:40 (GMT + 9)

The suspension of the closure of the Mexican market to fresh shrimp from Honduras is still far from being lifted, despite the expectations of the Honduran government regarding the progress of negotiations with the Mexican authorities.

The National Service of Health, Safety and Agri-Food Quality (SENASICA) from Mexico intends to impose new requirements for the entry of shrimp products grown in Choluteca and Valle, in southern Honduras. Among other measures, they would require that the plants that export products to Mexico be registered in the Information System of Consultation of Authorized Plants (SICPA).

In addition, the lots must be properly identified, by-catch free and have the results of analysis of an accredited laboratory.

However, the Honduran authorities consider that they can not endorse an unclear process that has closed the Mexican market since October 20, 2017 and that has resulted in protectionism for the aquaculture sector of that country, El Heraldo reported.

In a group of Honduran jurists’ view, these measures are a technical obstacle to foreign trade and SENASICA authorities when approving them violate the free trade agreement in force with Mexico.

The impact of the closure of the Mexican market has been reflected in a sharp drop in shrimp exports. In the first five months of this year, only 268,573 pounds (1 per cent of the total) were exported for USD 1.16 million, compared to 4.27 million pounds (35 per cent of the total) sent to the Mexican market in the same period of last year, when Mexico was positioned as the first destination of shrimp farmed in the southern zone of Honduras.

The suspension of imports of fresh Honduran shrimp that has been in effect since last year was imposed as a precautionary measure due to the presumed presence of yellow head disease (YHB).

Authorities from both countries met last week in Mexico to resume negotiations, but no progress was made to end the measure.

In the opinion of the head of the National Agricultural Health Service (SENASA), Ricardo Paz, in the absence of scientific evidence of health risk and having distorted the presence of an event by the YHB, there is no legal and scientific basis to keep raw shrimp import suspended.

Honduras sent the tests to the Australian Animal Health Laboratory (OIE), which found that the shrimp grown in Choluteca and Valle are disease-free.

The National Association of Aquaculture of Honduras (ANDAH) estimates that the blockade that Mexico has imposed on fresh Honduran shrimp has caused the country losses exceeding USD 19.1 million.

Related article:

- Shrimp exports to Mexico could restart in two months

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