Tuna exports estimated at nearly 700 million USD in 10 months

Tuna ranked third among aquatic products in terms of export value during the first 10 months of 2023. (Photo: VNA)

Tuna exports brought home 693 million USD during the first 10 months of 2023, falling 22% year on year and ranking third among aquatic products, reported the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP).

During the period, total overseas shipments of aquatic products declined 21% to 7.4 billion USD, with all the products recording lower export revenue compared to the same period last year, VASEP said.

The biggest importers of Vietnamese tuna were the US, Israel, Thailand, Japan, Canada, and Germany. While exports to Israel, Thailand, and Germany posted good growth, shipments to the US, Japan, and Canada plunged.

Notably, tuna exports to the US, the largest market, dropped 41% from a year earlier during the first nine months of this year.

Meanwhile, the nine-month exports to Poland shot up 125% to top 4 million USD, statistics show.

Poland is the seventh largest EU market of tuna from Vietnam, VASEP noted, considering the continuous growth in this country’s tuna imports over the last five years as a good chance for Vietnamese products there.

Vietnam is currently the third largest non-EU supplier of tuna for Poland, after Ecuador and the Philippines. While the Philippines’ exports to this market have been decreasing, Vietnam’s are now on the rise, the association said.

Canned fish made up the biggest proportion, more than 83%, among tuna products shipped to Poland, with a surge of 211% in value.

Businesses attributed the soaring exports to Poland partly to impact of inflation. Higher prices in supply chains such as vegetable oil, can, and carton package prices have also boosted importers’ direct purchases.

Though exports to the UK have fallen in recent months, total tuna shipments there still climbed 48% during January - September to over 5.5 million USD. The export value of fresh and frozen tuna products rose sharply compared to the same period last year.

With a modest market share of 1%, Vietnam ranks 13th among the tuna suppliers for the UK at present, according to VASEP./.