(vasep.com.vn) Above 36% of Vietnam caught tuna were exported to the US, making it the biggest consumption market. After declines in recent years, there have been positive signals in tuna exports from Vietnam to the US.
In January 2015, tuna exports to the US plunged, followed by a significant rise in both February and March. Total tuna exports to the US in QI/2015 was reported at US$ 38 million, down 1.2% year-on-year. Amid competitive pressure and low catches, catchers are putting their focus on more profitable species. It is also noted that to send products to the US, Vietnamese tuna exporters had to bear the tariff of 10.1%, comparing to 7.6% for Ecuador and 9.2% for other ASEAN members. Therefore, the slight decrease can be considered as a good news.
Reportedly, in 2014, canned tuna loin continued to be the major tuna product (accounting for 43%) that Vietnam sent to the US, followed by frozen tuna loin HS0304 with 38.5% and fresh/frozen tuna (excluding tuna loin) with 16%. Canned tuna exports in the whole year 2014 reached US$ 75 million, decreasing by 14% from 2013. Meanwhile, frozen tuna loin exports increased by nearly 40%.
|
US tuna imports (US$ thousands)
|
|
Origin
|
Jan 2014
|
Feb 2014
|
Jan-Feb 2014
|
Jan 2015
|
Feb 2015
|
Jan-Feb 2015
|
2015/2014 (%)
|
|
World
|
139,813
|
101,339
|
241,152
|
132,746
|
95,784
|
228,530
|
-5.2
|
|
Thailand
|
43,238
|
34,976
|
78,214
|
39,447
|
25,864
|
65,311
|
-16.5
|
|
Indonesia
|
11,309
|
7,079
|
18,388
|
14,784
|
11,013
|
25,797
|
40.3
|
|
China
|
13,654
|
5,105
|
18,759
|
13,089
|
10,764
|
23,853
|
27.2
|
|
Ecuador
|
8,092
|
9,283
|
17,375
|
7,920
|
9,440
|
17,360
|
-0.1
|
|
Vietnam
|
12,034
|
6,718
|
18,752
|
10,389
|
6,503
|
16,892
|
-9.9
|
|
Philippines
|
10,282
|
8,058
|
18,340
|
8,668
|
8,052
|
16,720
|
-8.8
|
|
Fiji
|
7,977
|
534
|
8,511
|
8,543
|
3,356
|
11,899
|
39.8
|
|
Mauritius
|
5,535
|
3,710
|
9,245
|
4,335
|
3,353
|
7,688
|
-16.8
|
|
Mexico
|
3,944
|
3,540
|
7,484
|
3,905
|
2,669
|
6,574
|
-12.2
|
|
Sri Lanka
|
4,311
|
3,265
|
7,576
|
3,317
|
2,195
|
5,512
|
-27.2
|
|
Maldives
|
3,395
|
2,525
|
5,920
|
3,273
|
1,152
|
4,425
|
-25.3
|
|
Colombia
|
846
|
1,405
|
2,251
|
1,895
|
1,095
|
2,990
|
32.8
|
|
Spain
|
2,741
|
2,265
|
5,006
|
1,602
|
1,384
|
2,986
|
-40.4
|
|
Canada
|
882
|
1,262
|
2,144
|
1,410
|
1,221
|
2,631
|
22.7
|
|
Trinidad and Tobago
|
468
|
2,208
|
2,676
|
589
|
1,569
|
2,158
|
-19.4
|