Bangladesh’s shrimp industry is facing a striking contradiction: shrimp production has increased over the years, while export volumes have declined significantly. As traditional markets become increasingly competitive, China is emerging as a potentially important destination for Bangladesh’s shrimp. But accessing that opportunity may require major improvements across the country’s shrimp value chain.
A recent study published in Frontiers in Aquaculture, based on 33 years of data from 1990-91 to 2022-23, identifies China as an important potential market for Bangladesh’s shrimp industry. The researchers argue that Bangladesh’s duty-free access to the Chinese market could create opportunities for black tiger shrimp exports. However, they also caution that market access alone will not automatically translate into higher exports.
China’s growing opportunity
China is one of the world’s major seafood markets, and its shrimp demand creates a potentially significant opportunity for producing countries.
For Bangladesh, the opportunity is particularly relevant as shrimp exports have struggled despite rising domestic production. According to the study, shrimp production increased from 152,520 tonnes in 2000-01 to 271,302 tonnes in 2022-23. Export performance, however, followed a different trajectory.
Shrimp export volume reached a peak of 54,891 tonnes in 2010-11, before falling to just 25,143 tonnes in 2022-23. Export earnings also declined from more than US$598 million in 2011-12 to US$328 million in 2020-21.
This gap between production and exports highlights the challenge Bangladesh must overcome if it wants to capture new international markets.
Duty-free access is not enough
The study points to Bangladesh’s duty-free access to China as a potential advantage for its shrimp sector. But having preferential market access does not guarantee that Bangladeshi shrimp will reach Chinese consumers.
Exporters must meet the requirements of the destination market, including food-safety, quality-control, traceability and certification standards. The study specifically highlights the need for compliance with Chinese import requirements and references requirements associated with institutions such as China’s General Administration of Customs (GACC).
Bangladesh would also need stronger systems for standardized grading and internationally recognized certification, including standards such as HACCP, GMP, BRCGS and ASC-related certification and chain-of-custody systems, depending on the product and market requirements.
Food safety could determine whether Bangladesh succeeds
The study identifies food-safety problems, contamination, weak traceability and inadequate regulatory enforcement among the factors contributing to Bangladesh’s declining shrimp exports.
It reviews evidence of antimicrobial residues and other contaminants in shrimp, alongside concerns involving heavy metals, pathogens and shrimp diseases. These problems can undermine the ability of Bangladeshi exporters to consistently meet the requirements of demanding international markets.
For China, therefore, expanding exports would require more than producing larger quantities of shrimp. Bangladesh would need to demonstrate that shrimp moving through its supply chain can be consistently monitored and verified.
Traceability from farm to export
A major weakness identified by the researchers is the lack of comprehensive traceability across the shrimp value chain. The study proposes developing a national database and interactive mapping system covering information such as land use, shrimp-farming zones, drainage, disease occurrence, antibiotic use, mortality and the availability of specific pathogen-free (SPF) shrimp fry.
Such systems could help regulators and industry actors identify production risks and improve transparency across the supply chain. For exporters targeting China, this kind of digital traceability could become increasingly important.
Bangladesh also needs stronger production systems
Another challenge is the country’s production capacity. Although Bangladesh produced more than 270,000 tonnes of shrimp in 2022-23, the study’s time-series model projects a decline in total shrimp production to around 201,530 tonnes by 2026-27. It also projects shrimp exports falling to approximately 16,618 tonnes by the same year.
These are model-based forecasts, not guaranteed outcomes, but they highlight the scale of the challenge facing the industry.
Lessons from regional competitors
Bangladesh is not entering the Chinese shrimp market alone. The study points to countries such as India and Vietnam, which have developed stronger systems around traceability, biosecurity, certification, farmer training and production management.
Vietnam, for example, has promoted farmer clusters and cooperatives alongside good aquaculture practices, traceability and certification. India has strengthened traceability and biosecurity systems and developed domestic capacity for SPF broodstock production.
For Bangladesh, these experiences suggest that international market competitiveness depends not only on natural production advantages, but also on how effectively the entire value chain is organized and regulated.
China could provide Bangladesh with an important additional market for shrimp, particularly as the country looks to diversify its export destinations. But the opportunity comes with a condition: Bangladesh must become capable of consistently supplying shrimp that meet international quality, safety, traceability and certification requirements.
The study recommends stronger centralized quality control, accredited laboratories for PCR and residue testing, better post-harvest logistics, farmer training, biosecurity, traceability and greater species diversification. It also proposes developing a national shrimp marketing policy and improving coordination among farmers, processors, exporters and regulators.
If Bangladesh can strengthen food-safety assurance, establish reliable traceability, improve certification and raise production efficiency, the Chinese market could become an important avenue for diversification.
