April 21, 2011

Vietnam's tuna exports projected to rise

Exports of tuna from Vietnam are expected to continue rising in the following months, said the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP).

VASEP said the future increase is largely due to growing demands for tuna in the markets of the US, the EU, Israel and Canada.

Vietnam's tuna exports have seen growth in both volume and value as the average price of the product has risen slightly since the beginning of this year, reaching US$5.26 per kg.

The US remained the largest market for Vietnamese tuna exports, buying more than US$50 million worth of the product in the first quarter, a on-year rise of 11%. It was followed by the EU, Canada and Israel, with export turnover growth rates ranging between 15.6%-54.5%.

To improve the product's competitiveness, the Vietnam Fishing Association is planning to establish a national organisation to oversee the offshore tuna fishing industry.

The organisation is expected to put forward suitable forms of cooperation between fishing vessel owners and exporters to ensure benefits of fishermen.

Earlier, the Phu Yen provincial People's Committee signed a framework cooperation agreement with Japanese companies to boost the purchase, processing, preservation and export of tuna.

Under the terms of the agreement, the Japanese enterprises will send two frozen ships to semi-process and preserve fresh tunas and transfer advanced fishing technology to local fishermen.