Good Agricultural Practice(GAP):
Promoting shrimp farming
standards in Thailand as a way to win
export market share
By Jon Fernquest 
To
remain competitive in international export markets Thailand must continually
upgrade product standards. Two recent examples:
1.
In 2005 Thai fruit growers suddenly lost
market share in EU fruit markets due to a bacterial
infection, a situation where adequate
standards were lacking (Read article).
2. EU environmental laws will soon impose new standards on Thai products exported to the EU (Read article).
2. EU environmental laws will soon impose new standards on Thai products exported to the EU (Read article).
Upgrading shrimp standards in the future may also be necessary to win new market share in the lucrative EU shrimp market, a market that Thailand has barely penetrated:
"Although
Thailand contributes 30 per cent to the global shrimp
production, the market share of Thai shrimp in the EU is only 3 per
cent...However, the EU accounts for 37 per cent of global shrimp
consumption" (Source).
Good Agricultural Practice (GAP)
Today's article is about a set of local standards for Thailand's shrimp industry known as Good Agricultural Practice (GAP).GAP standards address many different aspects of shrimp production and marketing including "food safety, food quality control, environmental management, social responsibility and animal welfare."
EU retailers have also initiated their own set of European GAP standards known as "GLOBALGAP" (Read article).
Meeting GAP standards is not always necessary to sell shrimp. Foreign shrimp buyers do not always require compliance with GAP standards when they are selecting shrimp suppliers.
However, over time Thai shrimp suppliers have faced increased pressure to comply with different kinds of standards (Read article #1 and #2). This pressure has included accusations that Thailand's shrimp industry was employing child labour and that Burmese migrant workers were working under substandard conditions (See New York Times article from 2007).
Also read a good paper on the Development of Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) for Fruit and Vegetables in Thailand that provides general background on GAP standards.
market share - the
precentage of customers in a market that a company or country has
win market share - increase market share
lost market share - when market share decreases
penetrate a market - get customers in a market
barely penetrate a market - not get many customers in a market
a standard - an accetable level of quality or achievement
upgrade standards - make the standards you follow higher
continually upgrade standards - never stop making the standards you follow higher and higher
impose standards - force people to follow standards
adequate standards - standards are high enough to avoid problems
local standards - the standards within a country (not international standards)
compliance with standards - follow and meet standards
pressure to comply with standards - forced to follow and meet standards
migrant workers - people who move from poorer regions or countries to find work that pays better
working under substandard conditions - working in bad conditions (below an acceptable standard)
lucrative - profitable
global shrimp consumption - the total amount of shrimp that people eat around the world
Good Agricultural Practice (GAP) - high standards for agriculture, produced by many different organisations but the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations produces a wifely accepted set of standards (See Wikipedia)
GLOBALGAP - European GAP standards
accusations - bad things that others say that you have done (but not yet proven)
win market share - increase market share
lost market share - when market share decreases
penetrate a market - get customers in a market
barely penetrate a market - not get many customers in a market
a standard - an accetable level of quality or achievement
upgrade standards - make the standards you follow higher
continually upgrade standards - never stop making the standards you follow higher and higher
impose standards - force people to follow standards
adequate standards - standards are high enough to avoid problems
local standards - the standards within a country (not international standards)
compliance with standards - follow and meet standards
pressure to comply with standards - forced to follow and meet standards
migrant workers - people who move from poorer regions or countries to find work that pays better
working under substandard conditions - working in bad conditions (below an acceptable standard)
lucrative - profitable
global shrimp consumption - the total amount of shrimp that people eat around the world
Good Agricultural Practice (GAP) - high standards for agriculture, produced by many different organisations but the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations produces a wifely accepted set of standards (See Wikipedia)
GLOBALGAP - European GAP standards
accusations - bad things that others say that you have done (but not yet proven)
Economics
AGRICULTURE
Shrimp industry reforms endorsed
19/12/2009Walailak Keeratipipatpong
Shrimp welfare and social responsibility are among the important criteria in the revised Good Agricultural Practice (GAP) code drafted to secure Thailand's lucrative shrimp export industry.
The new GAP, revised from the 2003 version by the Fisheries Department, aims to raise export standards and ensure shrimp meet freshness requirements demanded by foreign buyers in recent years, said Pradit Chonchuenchob, the director of the department.
"Issues such as how to produce healthy shrimp with good welfare, environmentally sound farming, as well as no employment of either child or forced labour are fresh requests from importers that Thai farmers have to comply with," he told about 200 participants at a seminar yesterday.
reforms -
improvements
endorse - officially improve
reforms endorsed - improvements to a system officially approved
welfare - living in good conditions (with health, wealth, and happiness)
social responsibility - requirements for companies in addition to making a profit
criteria - one of the things or factors you use to make a decision or judgement
revised - written again, changed and improved
drafted - to write up an official document
secure - make safe, protect from harm
lucrative - profitable
fishery - a fish farm, a place that raises fish to be sold in the market (See Wikipedia)
Fisheries Department - the Thai government department that oversees fisheries
raise export standards - increase the quality of products manufactured and sold outside of the country (exported)
sound - in good condition
environmentally sound farming -
child labour - the controversial practice of having children work instead of go to school (See Wikipedia)
forced labour, unfree labour - when people are put in a situation where they are forced to work often in very bad circumstances, for example "debt bondage" essentially means they have been essentially sold by their family, with their labour going to pay off a loan (See Wikipedia)
comply with - follow rules and regulations
endorse - officially improve
reforms endorsed - improvements to a system officially approved
welfare - living in good conditions (with health, wealth, and happiness)
social responsibility - requirements for companies in addition to making a profit
criteria - one of the things or factors you use to make a decision or judgement
revised - written again, changed and improved
drafted - to write up an official document
secure - make safe, protect from harm
lucrative - profitable
fishery - a fish farm, a place that raises fish to be sold in the market (See Wikipedia)
Fisheries Department - the Thai government department that oversees fisheries
raise export standards - increase the quality of products manufactured and sold outside of the country (exported)
sound - in good condition
environmentally sound farming -
child labour - the controversial practice of having children work instead of go to school (See Wikipedia)
forced labour, unfree labour - when people are put in a situation where they are forced to work often in very bad circumstances, for example "debt bondage" essentially means they have been essentially sold by their family, with their labour going to pay off a loan (See Wikipedia)
comply with - follow rules and regulations
Mr Pradit said that currently, more than 17,000 shrimp farms complied with international standards, basically the Code of Conduct of the Food and Agriculture, and the existing GAP.
"But to secure the future of an industry worth 80 billion baht and [overcome] barriers raised by foreign importers, farmers must work more," he said.
To ensure proper conditions for shrimp, farmers are allowed to farm no more than 150,000 post-larval shrimp per one-rai of pond area to raise shrimp in the size of 50-60 head per kilogramme. For a larger size or 40-50 per kg, the number of post-larval shrimp must be between 80,000 and 100,000 to avoid density and reduce stress.
Appropriate waste water treatment, no farming in mangrove areas and well-irrigated sites are among the 56 additional rules in the revised GAP, which took effect this year.
complied with
international standards - followed and obeyed
international standards
Code of Conduct of the Food and Agriculture -
secure the future of an industry - make sure the industry continues to survive and is successful in the future
larva - the stage of an insect or fish after it has left the egg but before it has become an adult
post-larval shrimp - adult shrimp (beyond egg and larva form)
avoid density - avoid large numbers in a small area
stress - have a difficult life
waste water treatment - cleaning dirty water
mangrove, mangrove swamp, mangrove forest - a thick forest of bushes along the coast instead of beaches (See Wikipedia)
revised - change, rewritten and improved
took effect this year - became legally active
Code of Conduct of the Food and Agriculture -
secure the future of an industry - make sure the industry continues to survive and is successful in the future
larva - the stage of an insect or fish after it has left the egg but before it has become an adult
post-larval shrimp - adult shrimp (beyond egg and larva form)
avoid density - avoid large numbers in a small area
stress - have a difficult life
waste water treatment - cleaning dirty water
mangrove, mangrove swamp, mangrove forest - a thick forest of bushes along the coast instead of beaches (See Wikipedia)
revised - change, rewritten and improved
took effect this year - became legally active
The department will allow shrimp farms three years to adjust their operations to comply with the new GAP. "Big farms would have no problem but smaller ones may need time to change," Mr Pradit said.
Further revisions to cope with changing trade circumstances such as carbon emissions will be made in the standard.
cope with
- deal with a difficult problem
trade circumstances - the situation for trading goods
emissions - gases coming out of something like a factory or a car
carbon emissions, carbon dioxide emissions - a chemical coming from using fossil fuels such as gasoline or coal that hurt the environment (See Wikipedia)
trade circumstances - the situation for trading goods
emissions - gases coming out of something like a factory or a car
carbon emissions, carbon dioxide emissions - a chemical coming from using fossil fuels such as gasoline or coal that hurt the environment (See Wikipedia)
"The new GAP would be a way to upgrade the Thai shrimp export industry to keep it ahead of rivals, notably Vietnam and Indonesia," said Varin Tanasomwang, director of the Coastal Fisheries Research and Development Bureau.
Improving marine shrimp farms and producing more hygienic shrimp to meet global standards are essential elements in the second strategic plan for the Thai shrimp industry from 2010 to 2012.
upgrade - improve
rivals - competitors, other companies or countries competing for the same customers and purchases
Coastal Fisheries Research and Development Bureau - a Thai government agency in charge of research and development of fish along the coast (Read description)
marine - something related to the sea
hygienic - clean
second strategic plan for the Thai shrimp industry from 2010 to 2012 -
rivals - competitors, other companies or countries competing for the same customers and purchases
Coastal Fisheries Research and Development Bureau - a Thai government agency in charge of research and development of fish along the coast (Read description)
marine - something related to the sea
hygienic - clean
second strategic plan for the Thai shrimp industry from 2010 to 2012 -
Over the next three years, Thailand plans to increase shrimp production by at least 5% a year, with 525,000 tonnes in 2010, 551,000 tonnes in 2011, and 578,000 tonnes in 2012.
As economies of major importing countries remain uncertain, exports would expand slightly to about 375,000 tonnes next year, 380,000 tonnes in 2011, and 390,000 tonnes in 2012.
The plan also suggests Thai exporters balance markets and reduce dependence on any one by capping export volume to a single market at 45% of the total. At present, the United States is the major importer of Thai shrimp and consumes 49-50% of all shipments from Thailand.
reduce dependence on
- change so that they do not need so much
cap - limit (set largest amount that it cannot go beyond)
capping export volume to a single market - limit the amount exported to one country or market such as EU
cap - limit (set largest amount that it cannot go beyond)
capping export volume to a single market - limit the amount exported to one country or market such as EU
(Source: Bangkok Post, Shrimp industry reforms endorsed, 19/12/2009, Walailak Keeratipipatpong, link)
