The Bangkok-based newspaper quoted Somsak Paneetatyasa, president of the Thai Shrimp Association, as saying that the tariff on Thai shrimp imported by the EU under its General System of Preferences (GSP) would jump from 4.2% to 12%, as exports from Thailand would be subject to the full rate. Furthermore, the duty on cooked shrimp and shrimp cocktails would increase from 7% to 20%.
"The high import tariff will directly affect Thai shrimp exports, as our competitors such as Malaysia have already formed bilateral free trade agreements with the EU to enjoy tariff-free access," commented Somsak.
Somsak stated that the Thai government needs to find a way to strengthen the nation's export competitiveness. He predicted the increased import duty rate could reduce Thailand's share of the Eurpean shrimp market from 20-25% today to as little as five percent in the near future.
"We want to see the government holds talks with the EU to encourage it to lower the import tariff on Thai shrimp from the full charge," Somsak stated.
During the first four months of this year, noted the Thai Shrimp Association, the country's shrimp exports dropped by 10% to 103,533 tons, and by three percent to 27.39 billion baht (approximately US $1 billion) in value terms.
