Malaysia is still waiting for a response from Thailand on sanitary concerns as the two countries remain in dispute over seafood bans.
Adnan Hussain, the Malaysian Fisheries Department director-general, said on Monday that Malaysia has not received answers on safety worries about shrimp from Thailand, which is a pre-condition before deciding on the ban.
“We have asked the Thai authorities to answer the questionnaires we sent regarding shrimp imports so that they can provide the necessary clarification,” Mr Adnan was quoted as saying by Bernama.
“Once we receive the response, we will assess whether it meets Malaysia’s biosecurity requirements,” the official added.
His statement contrasted with what Thai Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Suriya Juangroongruangkit said. Mr Suriya said on Friday the Thai Fisheries Department had already submitted a full clarification and received a positive response from the Malaysian counterpart.
Malaysia has banned shrimp imports of five species from Thailand from June 1 in retaliation for Thailand’s strict inspections of seabass after residue contamination was detected.
Malaysian seabass exporters have also complained about inspections at the Sadao border checkpoint in Songkhla province, where clearance can take one to two days and affect product freshness.
Thailand exports about 400 tonnes of shrimps worth about 44 million baht to Malaysia every month, according to the Thai government. The Shrimp Association estimated that the damage could exceed 2 billion baht if the dispute drags on.
Government spokeswoman Rachada Dhanadirek said on Sunday the two countries would try to quickly resolve the shrimp dispute. However, Thailand is also considering taking the matter to negotiations at the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) to protect shrimp farmers, she added.
On Sunday, deputy government spokeswoman Rachada Dhnadirek said the government is accelerating efforts to open alternative markets for Thai shrimp, with authorities seeking to prevent a decline in farm-gate prices and cushion the impact on farmers.
