Tuna exports from Vietnam in the first-quarter of this year fell by 5.5 percent year-on-year to USD 98.5 million (EUR 86.4 million), with sales down in the Southeast Asian country’s two main markets – the United States and the EU.
Together, the U.S. and EU markets accounted for 61.5 percent of Vietnam’s total tuna trade in Q1 2016. However, sales to the pair decreased by 4.4 percent and 14.3 percent respectively, according to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP).
There were also declines in exports to Japan (down 5.9 percent), Mexico (down 52.7 percent) and Canada (down 42.5 percent), compared to the same period of 2015.
However, there was strong growth in Vietnam’s tuna exports to China in Q1. According to statistics from Vietnam Customs, tuna sales to China grew by 253 percent to USD 7 million (EUR 6.1 million) year-on-year. Thanks to this growth, China took over from Japan as Vietnam’s fourth most important tuna market.
Overall, Vietnam’s seafood exports increased by 6.4 percent in Q1 thanks to increases in the shrimp and pangasius trades.
