Shrimp farmers in the South are calling on the government to hold urgent talks with Malaysia over plans to tighten inspections of Thai shrimp imports from June 1, a move that could affect exports worth about 4 billion baht a year.
Preecha Sukkasem, vice-president of the Thai Shrimp Association, said stricter inspections could affect farmers in southern provinces that export shrimp to Malaysia and Singapore.
The dispute follows Thailand's decision to ban Malaysian seabass imports after residue contamination was detected.
Malaysian seabass exporters have also complained about inspections at the Sadao border checkpoint in Songkhla, where clearance can take one to two days and affect product freshness.
Mr Preecha said Malaysia was expected to respond by imposing stricter residue checks on Thai shrimp.
He warned that any delays could reduce the value of fresh shrimp exports and force Thai farmers to sell their products on the domestic market at lower prices. No estimate of losses was available.
Songkhla senator Chaiyong Maneerungsakul called on the government to accelerate talks with Malaysia to prevent further losses.
"The prime minister, Commerce Ministry, Department of Fisheries and Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives must work together to resolve this urgently," he said.
Mr Chaiyong said he would raise the issue in parliament, warning that any prolonged disruption could cause serious damage to shrimp farmers across the South.
