July 5, 2005

Vietnam is current top yellowfin tuna exporter to the US

Vietnam is currently the largest exporter of yellowfin tuna to the US, with over a quarter of the US¡¯ total imports coming from the country.

The Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) said by April-end, 1,544 tonnes of frozen yellowfin tuna worth US$11 million were exported to the US, an increase of 43 percent over the same period last year.

Vietnam exports tuna to 40 markets, including the US, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan, Israel and Germany. Orders from the US and Japan for Vietnamese shrimp, especially large-sized shrimp, have also be rising since late-May.

The US's shrimp reserves had run out after a long time of limited imports while countries which regularly supplied shrimp to the US had suffered from poor harvests, resulting in greater demand, the association said.

VASEP is optimistic about the sale of Vietnamese shrimp to the US, because their shrimp reserves have already run out and farmers are also experiencing poor harvests.

The Japanese market too seems to be becoming favourable for Vietnamese exporters as the lower than expected shrimp outputs in South Asia and the start of its O-Bon festival season some factors driving up demand there.