TOKYO.- (Seafoodnews.com News).- 'Only the prices of shrimp are falling while the prices of other seafood and major farm products, such as grain, are on the rise, says a major wholesaler at Tokyo's Tsukiji Market.

The wholesale prices of Indonesian-produced black tiger fell by Y500, or about 12%, from last November to around Y3,700 per 1.8 kg (8/12 size per lb.) in Tokyo.
 
Industry observers point out that in the background of the price drop is the volatile economic situation of the United States, the largest shrimp importer of the world.
 
Unlike the basic foods as wheat, which are basically propped up by expanding world population, high-grade foods such as shrimp are more sensitive to the changes in the economy.
 
The United States has the largest import share of shrimp in the world, although China outstrips the U.S. in terms of consumption volume with its massive production.
 
Last year, shrimp imports by the U.S. fell nearly 6% over the previous year to around 557,000 tons.
 
According to a Tokyo-based research center, the decline in the U.S. shrimp imports was the first in 11 years since 1996.
 
As possible causes of declines, some in the industry point out the U.S. consumers' distrust in Chinese food in general and the U.S. imposition of anti-dumping tax on cheap imports.
 
But an official of Nippon Suisan Kaisha, Ltd. (Nissui) observed that the largest factor was 'the slowdown in personal consumption in the U.S. in which spending for high-graded food and eating-out has been slashed in the wake of the sharp fall in housing prices (which have supported individual consumption), and soaring prices of fuel and major foodstuffs.
 
Then, to which country will the shrimp, which is said to be the 'index of affluence,' be going?
 
Consumption has not recovered and declines in imports have not been held in check in Japan, where shrimp prices saw a large-margin fall due, in part, to the yen's appreciation against the dollar.
 
By contrast, demand has been expanding in China, Europe (including Eastern Europe) and the resource-rich regions, such as Russia and the Middle East.
 
Analysts note that the movement of shrimp toward newly emerging countries may symbolize the changes in the driving force in the world's economy and the shift of income.

Source: http://www.seafood news.com