Asian Speech
Close

Thai Minister to Hold Malaysia Talks Over Shrimp Import Ban

Terry Felix​​​​   On July 1, 2026 - 5:28 am​   In Economics   1mn Read
Thai Minister to Hold Malaysia Talks Over Shrimp Import Ban Thailand's Agriculture Minister Suriya Juangroongruangkit

BANGKOK, 1 July 2026 — Thailand’s agriculture minister will travel to Kuala Lumpur this week for talks with Malaysian officials aimed at resolving a trade dispute over Malaysia’s suspension of imports of Thai shrimp, Thai authorities said on Monday.

Agriculture Minister Suriya Juangroongruangkit said Malaysia’s Ministry of Agriculture had agreed to hold discussions on the issue. The meeting, scheduled for Wednesday, will focus on Malaysia’s ban on imports of five types of Thai shrimp, which took effect on June 1 over food safety concerns.

The trade restriction prompted protests from Thai shrimp farmers, who urged the government to intervene quickly to protect exports.

Suriya said the ministry would make every effort to resolve the dispute, safeguard the interests of shrimp producers and businesses across the supply chain, and maintain the competitiveness of Thailand’s shrimp industry while strengthening agricultural cooperation with Malaysia.

He added that Thailand was prepared to improve health inspection procedures for Malaysian sea bass imports, which have also been a source of trade friction, by introducing new technology to speed up inspections. He expressed hope that the measures would benefit both countries and help bring the trade dispute to an end.

Malaysia has previously said it is able to meet domestic demand despite suspending imports of the five categories of Thai shrimp and plans to further strengthen its domestic agriculture and aquaculture sectors.

Related