(vasep.com.vn) Despite rocketing tuna price in 2012, European economic downturn and sharply decreasing demand for high grade seafood products, tuna imports into Germany – a price sensitive market rose over 17 percent from that of 2011.
In 2012, Ecuador doubled its canned tuna volumes to Germany to keep the top position in tuna supply to the market. The Philippines, which had been the market leader since 2009 – fell to the second. Thailand, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Seychelles and the Netherlands are the next ones in the list of leading tuna exporters to Germany.
As of Jan 2013, within the EU block, Germany is the largest importer of Vietnam tuna. Since 2009, Vietnam mainly exported processed/canned tuna products to the market with the value proportion of 82.9 percent. However, the figure was small on par with Germany’s total canned tuna imports.
According to report from Centre for the Promotion of Imports from developing countries (CBI), Germany’s fresh tuna imports from developing countries made up about 40 percent of total imports. In which, imports from Sri Lanka took 51 percent, Yemen with 26 percent and Philippines with 7 percent. Three these countries were also main tuna exporters to the market.
During 2006 – 2011, developing countries’ fresh tuna volumes to Germany dropped from 213 MT to 28 MT in 2011, less than 86 percent. As a result, Germany strengthened buying tuna from EU members to compensate for the shortage. In contrast, Germany’s frozen tuna imports from developing countries increased by 40 percent from 45 MT to 63 MT in 2011 with the proportion of 33 percent in total frozen tuna imports to the market.
Vietnam and Indonesia have been two main suppliers of frozen tuna for Germany since 2007. Developing countries mostly supplied yellowfin, albacore and bigeye tuna for the market.
Tuna market in Germany depends mostly on imported tuna, domestic tuna production made up 21 percent. In the near future, it is expected that Vietnam exporters can remain and expand their market share in the market.