The Thai Shrimp Association has sounded the alarm after a U.S. inspection detected residue in one product, disrupting exports. A senior Senate leader is preparing live questions to press ministers for urgent farmer relief.
On 21 May 2026 at the Diamond Plaza Hotel in Surat Thani Province, Gen. Kriangkrai Srisa-rit, First Deputy President of the Senate, attended the 12th academic seminar titled “Quick Big Win: Thai Shrimp – Good Farming, Good Sales, Good Profits,” organized by the Tha Thong River Basin Shrimp Farmers Cooperative Limited. On this occasion, Mr. Ekaphon Yodpinit, president of the Thai Shrimp Association, representing farmers and entrepreneurs, submitted a letter of complaint to Gen. Kriangkrai seeking assistance to use the Senate's mechanisms to highlight the problems and pressure the government directly.
The president of the Thai Shrimp Association revealed the cause of the crisis: currently, Thailand's frozen shrimp products face severe confidence issues in foreign markets after the U.S. authorities detected residue in one chemical substance (out of 99 substances tested from competing countries). Although this is a very small number compared to competitors, the incident has undeniably caused a domino effect damaging the image and buyer confidence, leading to a worrying slowdown in Thailand’s shrimp export volumes.
The Thai Shrimp Association is therefore urging the government to urgently protect farmers by implementing rapid relief measures and restoring the entire structure of the marine shrimp farming and export industry to remove obstacles and enable Thailand to reclaim its position as a global leader in the shrimp industry.
After receiving the letter, Gen. Kriangkrai said that as a Senate representative, he is ready to serve as a bridge and intermediary to convey the problems and urgent proposals of entrepreneurs directly to the government, affirming that he will fully and effectively deploy all legislative mechanisms of the Senate.
"The Senate will not let this matter pass. We will promptly bring this issue for discussion in the Senate meeting, including preparing live questions to compel the relevant ministers to explain. If necessary, we are ready to submit a motion for a special debate on this issue to pressure for concrete and rapid solutions for our farmers," he said.
The First Deputy President of the Senate emphasized firmly at the end that the current problems in Thailand’s shrimp industry are not remote issues but concern the livelihoods and survival of hundreds of thousands of Thai farming households. It is also a vital economic lifeline for the country’s export sector. Therefore, all sectors from policy-makers to practitioners must come together to restore confidence and enhance the competitiveness of Thai shrimp products to quickly regain a strong position in the global market.