Dennis Yen of Yen & Brothers seafood importers with CEO Amalia Mai
Belize shrimp exports poised to enter profitable Taiwan market
By William Ysaguirre (Freelance Writer)
BELIZE CITY, Thurs. Aug. 7, 2025
Before Tilapia farming was introduced to Belize, Belize’s aquaculture industry primarily consisted of shrimp farming, which was a huge money earner in the ‘90’s, peaking at $85.153 million in exports in 2004, and $86.17 million exported in 2014, according to Fisheries Department statistics. Annual production was in the 16-17 million-pound range with a trade value of over USD$100 million.
Belize was importing shrimp larvae from Costa Rica, but to avoid the danger of bringing into the country diseases that were affecting the industry elsewhere, in the mid-‘90’s NOVA Shrimp Farms built its own shrimp hatchery in San Pedro, where pristine sea water was used to avoid viral infections.
Despite these measures, Belize’s shrimp industry was impacted by Taura syndrome virus and other diseases, and shrimp exports nosedived to $12 million in 2016, and went further down to $5.3 million in 2018. By 2020, shrimp exports had shrunk to $3.65 million.
The shrimp industry has fought hard to bounce back from the brink of collapse, and is now poised to cash in on the very lucrative seafood market of Taiwan, which imports close to USD$350 million worth of shrimp annually.
Belize exported 544,246 pounds of shrimp, with a value of $2.888 million in 2023, a significant increase over the 370,520 lbs with a value of $1.719 million that was exported in 2021, and the 327,970 lbs of shrimp worth $1.512 million that was exported in 2022. In 2020, production was less, but Belize exported 660,285 lbs at better prices, earning $3.652 million.
Three years ago, Belize signed an Economic Cooperation Agreement with Taiwan, and now Belize’s shrimp has met Taiwan’s rigorous phyto-sanitary standards. On July 30, Belizean shrimp was green-lighted by Taiwan’s Food and Drug Administration (TFDA) for export to Taiwan, as confirmation was received in Taiwan by H.E. Amalia Mai, C.E.O. in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade, Culture and Immigration.
Three years ago, Belize signed an Economic Cooperation Agreement with Taiwan, and now Belize’s shrimp has met Taiwan’s rigorous phyto-sanitary standards, and on July 30, Belizean shrimp was green-lighted for export to Taiwan.
Dr. Natalie Gibson, Belize’s Technical Director for Food, explained, “We are involved in making sure that the product that has been produced is safe for consumption. We do have in BAHA the animal health department and specifically the aquatic health unit that does surveillance for diseases for the industry, and so they are there to provide support, the testing support to the industry to avoid damage by disease and provide recommendations. They also would certify the health status of shrimp products.”
“We have been exporting lobster prior to this, and now we have an expansion to other, not just shrimp, other crustaceans, molluscs, like conch … we have other aquatic species that we can trade in as well,” she added.
