Seafood Processing & ExportSilver report

Published April 2026Insight Research12 min read2026 Edition12 sources, 12 primary-gradeStrong source depth

Thailand Shrimp Export EU & US Deep Dive

Thai shrimp export ~USD 1.8-2.2B (~250-300k tonne). US 32%, Japan 24%, EU 18%. Thai Union, CPF, Surapon. Post-EMS recovery, Ecuador/India competition, ASC/BAP.

Key takeaways

1
Thai shrimp export ~ (~250- tonne) FY2024 — recovered from EMS 2012-2015 collapse but below pre-EMS ~ tonne peak.
2
Destinations: US ~, Japan ~, EU ~, Korea, China, ASEAN ~.
3
Vannamei white-leg ~ volume; monodon black-tiger ~ premium niche.
4
Listed: Thai Union (SET: TU), CPF (SET: CPF), Surapon (SET: SSF). Ecuador, India, Vietnam, Indonesia compete on cost, scale.
5
Compliance: ASC, BAP traceability, EU post-yellow-card IUU, ILO Ship-to-Shore, US Tier ranking are operating constraints.

Executive summary

Thai shrimp export reaches ~ (~250- tonne) FY2024. Pre-EMS (Early Mortality Syndrome / Acute Hepatopancreatic Necrosis Disease) era saw Thai output peak ~ tonne; 2012-2015 EMS outbreak collapsed production by +; subsequent biosecurity, farm management discipline, restocking restored volumes to current ~250-. Vannamei (Litopenaeus vannamei white-leg) dominates ~ of volume — superior disease tolerance, faster grow-out, farm productivity. Black-tiger monodon (Penaeus monodon) ~ premium niche — higher per-kg value but lower volume, slower growth, disease-vulnerable.^{[, , , , ]}

Destination mix: US ~ — peeled, cooked, value-added retail (tail-on, breaded, EZ-peel, cooked party-tray); Japan ~ — tempura, ebi-fry, sushi-grade, retail, foodservice (premium pricing for sushi/sashimi grade monodon); EU ~ — cooked, marinated, retail, foodservice; Korea, Hong Kong, China ~ — fresh, frozen, retail; ASEAN, Middle East, Australia, others ~. Listed exporters: Thai Union (SET: TU) — world's largest tuna processor, major shrimp, Chicken of the Sea, John West, Petit Navire global brands; CPF (SET: CPF) — integrated farm-feed-process-export model, global aquaculture, livestock; Surapon Foods (SET: SSF) — top-3 Thai shrimp processor, value-added, cooked specialties. Private, smaller: Charoen Pokphand Aquaculture, Pacific Fish Processing, Andaman Seafood, dozens of midsize processors.^{[, , , , ]}

Competition, compliance: Ecuador (now world's largest shrimp exporter post-2018 surge), India (#2 global), Vietnam, Indonesia compete on cost, scale, Pacific Coast access. Thai competitive edge: value-added cooked, breaded, retail-ready, Japan certification, ASC/BAP traceability, multi-destination flexibility, EU, Japan certification depth. ASC (Aquaculture Stewardship Council), BAP (Best Aquaculture Practices) certification is widely adopted by Thai farmer-processor; EU post-yellow-card (2015-2019) reform discipline persisted; US Tier ranking on labour, ILO Ship-to-Shore, Verite, IJM monitoring matter for Thai industry reputation. EU DG MARE, USDA FAS, Japan MAFF certify Thai establishments. Climate, farm-density, disease, biosecurity remain ongoing supply-side variables; CPF, Thai Union, Surapon vertically-integrated farm, processor model mitigates risk.^{[, , , , ]}

DOF, Thai Union, CPF, Surapon, Customs, USDA FAS, EU DG MARE, ILO, ASC/BAP, FAO, TFFA, SCB EIC

Data as of: FY2024-Q1 2026

Thai shrimp export destination mix (% of FY2024 value)

US (peeled, cooked, retail)

Share %

32%

Format

Peeled, cooked, EZ-peel, breaded, retail party-tray

Japan (tempura, ebi-fry, sushi)

Share %

24%

Format

Tempura, ebi-fry, sushi-grade monodon, retail, foodservice

EU (cooked, marinated)

Share %

18%

Format

Cooked, marinated, retail, foodservice; post-yellow-card discipline

Korea, Hong Kong, China

Share %

14%

Format

Fresh, frozen, retail

ASEAN, others

Share %

12%

Format

Middle East, Australia, Russia, global remainder

Destination	Share %	Format
US (peeled, cooked, retail)	32%	Peeled, cooked, EZ-peel, breaded, retail party-tray
Japan (tempura, ebi-fry, sushi)	24%	Tempura, ebi-fry, sushi-grade monodon, retail, foodservice
EU (cooked, marinated)	18%	Cooked, marinated, retail, foodservice; post-yellow-card discipline
Korea, Hong Kong, China	14%	Fresh, frozen, retail
ASEAN, others	12%	Middle East, Australia, Russia, global remainder

Customs, USDA FAS, Thai Union, CPF, Surapon triangulation

Data as of: FY2024

Analyst framing

Why this report

Thai shrimp is post-EMS-recovered, value-added-led, Thai-Union/CPF/Surapon-dominated, Ecuador/India-compete-on-cost, ASC/BAP/IUU-compliance-pressured.

Producer, EU/US/Japan, competition, certification playbooks

Thai Union (SET: TU): world's largest tuna processor (Chicken of the Sea, John West, Petit Navire, Mareblu, Genova), major shrimp processor, global brand portfolio, Frozen Foods Investments, Manawai, i-Tail Corporation pet-food adjacency. Strong North American (US), EU brand presence, foodservice, retail, private label. CPF (SET: CPF): integrated farm-feed-process-export model, Charoen Pokphand Aquaculture global; vertically integrated provides cost, biosecurity, traceability advantage; CPF Vietnam, Cambodia, India, Brazil, Russia farm, processing. Surapon Foods (SET: SSF): top-3 Thai shrimp processor; value-added cooked, breaded, ready-to-eat; export-focused. Charoen Pokphand Aquaculture, Pacific Fish Processing, Andaman Seafood, Songkhla Canning, dozens of midsize processors round out Thai industry.

EU, US, Japan market: US (Sysco, US Foods, Walmart, Costco, Kroger, Sam's Club, Safeway, Albertsons retail, foodservice) is largest market — value-added cooked, peeled, breaded, retail party-tray; ASC/BAP, traceability, cooked-format premium, Thai-Union/CPF brand, private label drive position. Japan (Aeon, Seven & i, Lawson, FamilyMart, foodservice, sushi chain) — premium tempura, ebi-fry, sushi-grade monodon, Maruha Nichiro, Nissui, Mitsubishi Corp, Itochu importer relationships. EU (Tesco, Carrefour, Aldi, Lidl, Rewe, Auchan, Edeka retail, foodservice) — cooked, marinated, retail; post-yellow-card EU IUU compliance, DG MARE certification, traceability, non-IUU sourcing.

Competition, compliance, certification: Ecuador (~1.0M+ tonne post-2018 surge, world's largest exporter, larger farm, lower cost, Pacific Coast advantage), India (~700k+ tonne, large-scale industrial farms, EU, US export), Vietnam (~400-500k tonne, regional hub), Indonesia (~300-400k tonne, growing) all compete on cost, volume. Thai value-added, cooked, retail-ready, Japan certification, ASC/BAP traceability, multi-destination flexibility offset cost gap. ASC (Aquaculture Stewardship Council), BAP (Best Aquaculture Practices) certification widely adopted; EU post-yellow-card (2015-2019 reform period) discipline persisted with DG MARE, Catch Certificate, traceability; US Tier-2 status maintained on labour, ILO Ship-to-Shore, Verite, IJM third-party monitoring. EU DG MARE, USDA FAS, Japan MAFF approve Thai establishments; CBE / approved-establishment list maintenance is competitive moat. Climate, farm density, disease (EMS / WSSV / IMNV), biosecurity remain ongoing supply variables.

Scenarios to 2031

Bull: value-added scale, Japan, EU, biosecurity recovery

Export USD ~3B

Value-added cooked, breaded, retail-ready scales; Japan, EU premium hold; biosecurity recovery continues lifting volume; Ecuador, India competition manageable.

Base case

Export USD ~2B

Steady recovery; value-added share continues growing; volume below pre-EMS but stable; competition steady.

Bear: disease, Ecuador/India scale, compliance friction

Export USD ~1.4B

Disease relapse, Ecuador/India volume, cost compression squeeze Thai share; compliance, ILO, Tier-3 risk, EU yellow-card revisit; some processors exit.

Unlock the full report

Producer, competition, certification, EU/US/Japan playbooks, scenarios.

Unlock deep dive·$149-$199

Need more than the web report? Ask for a scoped export or source appendix.

Every report keeps visible citations and source metadata. Terms.

Related reports

Thailand Seafood Processing & Export Market Intelligence

Thailand sold USD 7.14B of seafood to the rest of the world in 2024 — a 10-year high — and holds the world's largest canned-tuna position at roughly 35% global share. Market-access rules, not price, are the binding constraint. This report walks through the post-2015 IUU rebuild, the four listed processor playbooks (Thai Union, CPF, Surapon, Asian Sea Corp), US FDA, EU sustainability exposure, and a 5-year scenario band.

Open report →

Thailand Tuna Can, Frozen Seafood Export Deep Dive

Deep-dive into Thailand's world #1 canned tuna export position (~40-45% global share); ~USD 5-7B canned tuna export FY2024, frozen seafood, value-added cooked. Thai Union (TUF SET: TU) world's largest tuna processor, owns Chicken of the Sea (US), John West (UK, Netherlands), Mareblu (Italy), Petit Navire (France), King Oscar (Norway), Genova (US); Sea Value, Pataya, Royal, Songkla Canning major Thai processors. Frozen seafood (shrimp, squid, cuttlefish, cooked), value-added, ready-to-eat segment growing. Sustainability, IUU fishing, EU yellow-card 2015-2019 reform, WCPFC, ISSF, ESG buyer, MSC certification, fair-trade compliance dominant.

Open report →

Thai Surimi: The Alaska-Pollock-Input Niche

Surimi is roughly 8% of Thailand's canned and processed seafood mix — a niche line that is materially more margin-defensible than commodity canned tuna IF the Alaska pollock raw-material supply is secured. Thai surimi processors are price-takers on North Pacific quota cycles (NOAA Bering Sea total allowable catch), and their premium customers are imitation-crab and fish-paste manufacturers in Japan and South Korea. This subsector report sizes the niche, maps the pollock-quota dependency, and reads the 2025-2027 trajectory.

Open report →

Thailand Chicken Export to Japan & EU Deep Dive

Deep-dive into Thai chicken export to Japan, EU, UK, Middle East, Korea, ASEAN. Thailand is #4 global exporter (after Brazil, US, EU-27) shipping ~1M tonne/yr valued ~USD 3.5-4B; Japan ~52%, EU+UK ~24%, Middle East, Korea, ASEAN ~16%, other ~8%. Post-2004 Avian Influenza pivot structurally shifted Thailand from raw-frozen broiler to high-value cooked, processed product. Certification: DLD, MAFF/MAAJA, EU DG SANTE, JAS, HACCP, CCP, GAP, halal/Shariah. Listed: CPF, BTG, GFPT. Private, multinational: Cargill Thailand, Saha Farms, Laemthong. EU TRQ, Japan tariff-quota, post-2022 Avian Influenza outbreaks, Brazil, Ukraine, Poland competition, feed cost, baht/yen FX shape margin.

Open report →