Tuna exports to US surge

Vietnam’s tuna exports to the U.S. rose 38 percent last year, with that country remaining by far the biggest buyer of the fish.

Tuna seen at a port in Binh Dinh Province, south central Vietnam. Photo by Shutterstock/Tran Thi Hai Yen.

They were worth $316 million, accounting for 44 percent of Vietnam’s total tuna exports, according to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP).

The big increase year-on-year was due to the U.S.-China trade war, which caused American importers to look for sources other than China. Vietnam was the second largest exporter to the U.S. after Thailand, VASEP said.

There were also rising American demand for canned tuna, it added.

Vietnam’s tuna exports to ASEAN member countries rose 7 percent to $54 million, with Thailand and the Philippines being the two top buyers.

Despite fluctuations in tuna demand in Southeast Asia last year, Indonesia’s imports from Vietnam surge by more than 800 percent.

In the Middle East, Israel remained the top buyer of Vietnamese tuna though its purchases fell by 39 percent to $38 million.

Vietnam’s tuna exports rose 10.2 percent to over $719 million last year, and is expected to grow 15 percent this year, VASEP forecast.