KUALA NERUS: Malaysia is awaiting Thailand's response to a questionnaire on shrimp imports before assessing the country's compliance with local biosecurity requirements following the ongoing trade dispute involving the commodity.
Fisheries Director-General Datuk Adnan Hussain said the Agriculture and Food Security Ministry is currently examining the matter and has requested Thailand to respond to the questionnaire submitted through Malaysia's agricultural representative office in Bangkok.
"We have asked the Thai authorities to answer the questionnaire we sent regarding shrimp imports so that they can provide the necessary clarification.
"Once we receive the response, we will assess whether it meets Malaysia's biosecurity requirements," he told reporters after the World Ocean Day 2026 celebration at Pulau Redang Marine Park here on Monday (June 8).
Adnan said Malaysia has also strengthened its biosecurity measures on imports of sea bass from Thailand following Bangkok's decision to impose restrictions and conduct full inspections on Malaysian sea bass exports.
He said Malaysia now requires a Certificate of Analysis (CoA) for sea bass imported from Thailand before the product is allowed into the country.
"Our sea bass exports are also subjected to restrictions and comprehensive inspections by Thailand. As such, we are applying similar biosecurity measures," he said.
When asked whether Thailand had been given a deadline to respond, Adnan said no specific timeframe had been set.
"We have not imposed any deadline at this stage. Our priority is to conduct a thorough evaluation once we receive a complete response from Thailand," he said.
On May 16, Malaysia tightened import controls on fishery products from Thailand by enforcing CoA requirements for sea bass and imposing a temporary ban on five species of shrimp effective last Monday.
The affected shrimp species are Penaeus esculentes, Fenneropenaeus merguiensis, Penaeus vannamei, Penaeus monodon and Penaeus stylirostris.
On Sunday, it was reported Thailand is prepared to raise the issue of Malaysia's temporary suspension of imports of the five shrimp species at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and Asean forums should bilateral negotiations fail to resolve the matter. - Bernama
