China Suspends Shrimp Imports From Six Ecuadorian Companies

China suspended shrimp imports from seven Ecuadorian plants tied to six companies from June 30.

The measure creates a new compliance issue for Ecuador’s largest non-oil export line in its most important destination market.

Inspection Issue

The General Administration of Customs of China had not publicly disclosed the reason for the suspension as of July 3.

The reported issue is tied to metabisulfite testing. Chinese customs rejected 132 lots of Ecuadorian shrimp in May, representing about 2,904 tons.

The rejections followed a change in China’s testing methodology. Instead of analyzing only edible meat, China now analyzes shrimp heads and shells, increasing the likelihood of detecting metabisulfite residues.

Market Exposure

China is Ecuador’s main shrimp export market, with a share above 50%.

That concentration turns a plant-level compliance dispute into a sector-level market-access risk.

What To Watch

Watch whether China lifts the suspensions quickly, whether affected exporters can submit compliant lab documentation, and whether May-July shipment data shows volume diversion to other markets or margin pressure from delayed sales.