Representatives from the Ecuador's shrimp industry attended meetings with Chinese embassy officials Friday as part of a drive to secure a free trade deal with the Asian powerhouse.
China is by far Ecuador's largest market for shrimp. In 2020, shipments to China totaled nearly 788 million pounds, a 3 percent increase over 2019 despite difficulties linked to the global COVID-19 pandemic.
The latest available numbers through the end of May show exports to China were down 39 percent compared with the first five months of last year, although globally exports have reached record or close to record levels in recent months, helped by US demand.
