Week 49 farm-gate shrimp roundup: Floods hit Thai, Indonesian producers, Ecuador prices slip again : Undercurrent News
The humanitarian toll in Indonesia has been significant, while in Thailand, severe flooding across nine southern provinces has affected an estimated 10,000 farmers, according to Undercurrent’s global round-up
By Louis Harkell | Dec. 2, 2025 11:35 GMT
Additional reporting by Dan Gibson, Neil Ramsden, Lewis Hu and Maria Feijoo.
Devastating floods across southern Thailand and Sumatra have disrupted shrimp production in both countries, with industry sources warning of supply losses as the sector counts the human and economic cost.
In Thailand, severe flooding across nine southern provinces has affected an estimated 10,000 farmers — roughly one-third of all shrimp farmers in the country. The Thai Shrimp Association estimates total damages exceeding $31 million, with industry sources forecasting a 10% loss of national production.
The humanitarian toll in Indonesia has been significant, with at least 631 people killed and nearly 500 still missing after flooding in Aceh, North Sumatra and West Sumatra, reports the BBC. While shrimp production in the affected provinces is relatively small, some farms have been wiped out entirely and others left isolated without feed deliveries or electricity.
Despite the supply disruptions, price movements were muted in both countries in week 49 (Dec. 1-7). Thai prices were mostly flat, with only 60-count vannamei posting a modest gain. Indonesian prices edged slightly higher across smaller size grades.
Meanwhile, Ecuadorian farmers extended their losing streak to three consecutive weeks as Chinese buyers delay purchases in anticipation of further declines. The 80/100-count grade posted the steepest drop at $0.20/kg week-on-week.
Asian origins outside the flood zones continued to firm. Indian prices rose for a third straight week as the harvest season concludes, while Vietnamese shrimp kept climbing on tight raw material supply. Chinese prices diverged, with Guangdong strengthening but Fujian retreating sharply.
Following the regional shifts, Undercurrent’s global farm-gate shrimp price index for 60-count edged up to $3.63/kg, gaining $0.02 week-on-week but remaining 8.3% below year-ago levels.
Thai producers hit by floods
Vannamei shrimp farm-gate prices in Thailand were mostly flat in week 49 as the industry grapples with severe flooding across the country’s southern production regions.
The 60-count benchmark rose THB 2.5 ($0.07)/kg week-on-week, while 70-count and 80-count prices held steady, according to market data.
Heavy rainstorms over the past week have caused severe flooding across nine southern provinces, devastating shrimp farms in key production areas, according to Undercurrent sources.
Approximately 10,000 farmers — roughly one-third of all shrimp farmers in Thailand — have been affected, Will Wiangchai, export sales manager at Bangkok-based frozen seafood exporter Siam Canadian, told Undercurrent.
“We estimate that approximately 10% of total production will be lost,” Wiangchai said. Production forecasts have been adjusted to 14,000-18,000 metric tons for December and 12,000-16,000t for January.
The worst damage occurred in Songkhla, Phatthalung and Pattani provinces, while farms in Nakhon Si Thammarat, Trang and Satun have also been hit by high water levels exceeding one meter.
Thai Shrimp Association president Ekapoj Yodpinit said production losses alone are valued at around $15.5 million, but total damages exceed THB 1 billion ($31m) when accounting for destroyed equipment, washed-away feed and juvenile shrimp, and damaged ponds, reported Khaosod English.
The southern region normally produces about 11% of Thailand’s annual output.
The association is urging the government to launch emergency relief, including new equipment, zero-interest loans and support for farms transitioning to low-carbon production.
Thailand’s shrimp output for 2025 is forecast at 270,000t, similar to last year. Exports from January to September are slightly down compared with the same period last year, according to Undercurrent data.
Indo floods hit Sumatra firm
Vannamei shrimp farm-gate prices in Indonesia firmed slightly in week 49, with smaller size grades posting modest gains even as the industry reels from catastrophic flooding in Sumatra.
The 80-count grade rose IDR 1,000 ($0.06)/kg week-on-week, while 90-count and 100-count each gained IDR 1,000, according to market data from Jala. Larger sizes from 30-count to 70-count held steady.
The price stability marks a shift from week 48, which saw sharp declines in several grades.
One shrimp producer in the affected region told Undercurrent the situation was dire.
“It impacted us badly,” the source said. “Farms are gone. Some farms are not directly impacted but isolated — no feed delivery, no harvest trucks. Some had electricity gone for days.”
The source said employees’ family members remain missing. “We don’t really care about shrimp right now. People are dying and missing.”
Limited production impact expected overall
Industry sources said the flood-affected provinces produce shrimp in much lower volumes than the rest of Indonesia, suggesting limited impact on overall national output.
However, the source noted the affected area includes zones certified free of Cesium-137 contamination — a significant point as Indonesia works to restore full access to the US market following FDA radiation testing requirements earlier this year.
The country’s first certified shipments departed for the US in early November.
The US remains Indonesia’s largest shrimp market by a wide margin, with exports reaching 84,755 metric tons worth $748 million through August 2025.
Ecuadorian shrimp prices fall for third straight week
Vannamei shrimp farm-gate prices in Ecuador extended their slide in week 49, marking a third consecutive week of declines as buyers across major markets hold back.
Prices fell across nearly all size grades, with the 80/100-count posting the steepest drop at $0.20/kg week-on-week. The 60/70-count and 70/80-count grades each eased $0.10, while larger sizes from 20/30-count to 50/60-count declined $0.05, according to Undercurrent data.
The sustained weakness suggests a significant market correction after prices climbed through much of the autumn.
According to an Ecuadorian shrimp farmer, Chinese importers have been delaying purchases for the Lunar New Year period, when shrimp consumption typically increases.
“The holdup is due to expectations that prices could fall further, but buyers risk running out of supplies,” the farmer told Undercurrent.
The European market began the week quietly, “with no fresh buying interest emerging and importers continuing to rely on the large volumes secured earlier in the year,” a second farmer said.
Meanwhile, wholesale prices for imported vannamei shrimp in the US continued to be pressured by “notably weak” demand, the second source added.
“Sales for the Chinese New Year have ended, same for the European Christmas campaign,” a source close to Ecuadorian producers said last week. “This occurs every year.”
The source pointed to rising production as a key factor behind the softening. “I believe there is a lot of shrimp coming out this November and December.”
In October, Ecuador shipped 116,109 metric tons of shrimp, up 35% from October of last year and its highest level since June.
Indian shrimp prices rise for third straight week
Vannamei shrimp farm-gate prices in India’s Andhra Pradesh extended their rally in week 49, with gains across all size grades as the harvest season draws to a close.
The 30-count benchmark jumped INR 15 ($0.18)/kg week-on-week — the sharpest increase among all grades. Sizes from 40-count through 90-count each rose INR 10, while 100-count edged up INR 5, according to data from Aquaconnect.
“Yes, prices are increasing in India. Season over,” Durai Murugan, owner of shrimp producer Sea Gem Aqua Farms in Tamil Nadu, told Undercurrent.
“Prices are likely to move very strongly in the upcoming weeks,” he added.
The seasonal tightness is typical for this time of year, with harvest activity winding down and limited raw material available on the market.
“The demand is extremely high at the moment,” Bharath Kakani, director of shrimp packer and exporter Fedora Seafoods told Undercurrent. “Farm-gate prices have shot up significantly, and we expect them to rise even more.”
Disease outbreaks are compounding the supply squeeze. “Supply is short as a lot of farms are affected with WSSV [white spot syndrome virus], leading to unplanned harvests,” another source said.
The price increases come despite elevated US tariff rates that have been in place since week 32, when the Trump administration implemented a full 50% tariff on Indian goods.
Vannamei shrimp farm-gate prices in China continued to diverge in week 49, with Guangdong continuing to firm while Fujian posted a steep decline.
Guangdong’s 60-count benchmark rose CNY 2 ($0.28)/kg week-on-week, extending recent gains. However, Fujian fell CNY 4 — the sharpest move among China’s key farming regions. Shandong, Jiangsu and Guangxi held steady, according to market data.
The mixed picture follows several weeks of broadly rising prices across southern provinces.
Large-sized shrimp remain scarce in southern provinces, with many farmers set to carry out a new round of stocking for the winter crop in December, according to Haid Group, one of China’s largest aquaculture feed producers. In Shandong, farming activities have slowed due to low temperatures.
Guangdong has now posted gains for three consecutive weeks. The province had briefly underperformed in week 47 after several weeks of increases left it trading at a premium to other regions.
That gap widened further in week 49, with Guangdong’s CNY 39/kg now well above Jiangsu’s CNY 30/kg — the lowest among the key producing regions.
Price gains in recent weeks have been linked to decreasing temperatures, with most of Guangdong’s shrimp produced in open-air ponds as opposed to greenhouses in northern and eastern China.
Vietnamese supply tight
Vannamei shrimp farm-gate prices in Vietnam continued to rise in week 49, with limited raw material availability keeping upward pressure on the market.
“Farm-gate prices kept rising this week due to the limited supply of raw shrimp, especially sizes 80 counts/kg and larger,” a Ho Chi Minh-based consultancy told Undercurrent.
Processing plants have been raising buying prices to secure volume amid the supply squeeze, with Vietnamese prices tracking closely with Thai ex-farm leels for eomparable sizes in recent weeks.
