A new conference focused on the global shrimp market will take place in September in the Netherlands.
The Global Shrimp Forum will take place 6 to 8 September, 2022, in Utrecht, the Netherlands, and purports to be “the warm-water shrimp industry’s first dedicated annual conference and business meeting, aiming to drive the shrimp industry towards a resilient and sustainable future.”
“The global warm-water shrimp production doubled over the last 10 years, and over the next 30 years, demand for seafood is expected to increase further. Global trade of farmed shrimp will continue to expand connecting the producing countries with consumers in many markets around the globe. But this USD 20 billion per year industry doesn’t have its own meeting place where all different businesses and stakeholders can connect,” the Global Shrimp Forum Foundation said in a press release. “The Global Shrimp Forum will feature production and market outlooks; innovation and technologies that transform shrimp production, supply chains, and markets; legal and regulatory challenges; new and upcoming producers and niche products; and finance and investment. But first and foremost, the Global Shrimp Forum will become the largest unique top-executive meeting place for the shrimp industry, bringing together more than 400 leading players across the entire supply chain.”
The Global Shrimp Forum will be organized by a non-profit foundation set up by the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC), Shrimp Insights, and Contango. Johan Brouwer, a former Mowi and Seafood Connection executive and currently a business development lead at Veramaris, is also involved in the event as a Global Shrimp Forum Foundation board member. Shrimp Insights Owner and Founder Willem van der Pijl has been named the managing director of the Global Shrimp Forum and will also serve as a board member.
“The shrimp industry is fragmented. It consists of hundreds of thousands of farmers, thousands of importers and exporters, and many more companies that support the industry with ingredients, technologies, services and finance and investment. This high level of fragmentation makes it difficult to convene a meeting where all these players feel represented, which is why the Global Shrimp Forum is such an important initiative,” he said. “Establishing a dedicated platform for everyone who wants to be part of a dialogue on not only the challenges confronting the shrimp industry but also the potential solutions is greatly needed. I view it as my personal mission to make this initiative successful.”
Primary sponsors of the event include seafood companies Santa Priscila, Omarsa, Devi Seafoods, AZ Gems, Sandhya Aqua, Unima, Labeyrie Fine Foods, Lyons Seafoods and Delpierre, Seafood Connection, Maruha Nichiro, Inlet SeaFish, Klaas Puul and Sykes, Primstar and Gambastar, Skretting, Grobest, JAPFA and Suri Tani Pemuka, Protix, Hendrix Genetics and Kona Bay, Xpertsea, eFishery, Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch, Aqua-Spark, Heiploeg, MSD Animal Health and IdentiGEN, Seajoy by Cooke, and Thai Union and Chicken of the Sea Frozen Foods.
“Only through collaboration can impactful change be delivered. ASC’s commitment to this forum reflects our dedication to collaborating with all those committed to recognizing and rewarding responsible aquaculture and to those actively looking to support the sector to make broadscale improvements,” ASC CEO Chris Ninnes, and now also Global Shrimp Forum Foundation chair, said in a release. “The warm-water shrimp industry deserves its own independent global platform where all facets of the industry – from exporters to importers, from feed companies to tech companies, retailers and brands but also financial institutions and NGOs, researchers and policymakers – can meet, share expertise and collaborate.”
The Global Shrimp Forum Foundation chose Utrecht as the site for its event because it “is at the heart of the European markets, and functions as a hub for tech companies and investors.”
“The conference will be relevant for producers and exporters, importers, feed companies, ingredient suppliers, technology companies, finance and investment agencies, governments, and civil society organizations,” it said.
Devi Seafoods Chairman and Managing Director Brahmanandam Potru said his company is looking forward to attending the event.
“Devi Sea Foods has been in the industry for nearly three decades and has a presence in all sections of the shrimp supply chain. As one of the large shrimp producers from India, Devi Sea Foods has been working towards responsible sourcing by participating in improvement programs for sustainability and traceability,” Potru said. “The Global Shrimp Forum would be an ideal platform for industry participants with diverse experiences and perspectives to share their learning and build better solutions for the global shrimp industry.”
Photo courtesy of Global Shrimp Forum Foundation
