(seafood.vasep.com.vn) With ocean tuna capture production of 17,000 MT, Vietnamese enterprises import an additional of 5,000 MT of ocean tuna for processing each year.
Vietnam has 3,600 tuna vessels with more than 35,000 fishermen. Three main producing provinces are Binh Dinh, Phu Yen and Khanh Hoa, with capture production of 17,000 MT per year, said Mr.Vu Dinh Dap, Chairman of Vietnam Tuna Association.
Of the three main producing provinces, Binh Dinh takes the lead in tuna production with nearly 9,000 MT per year.
Despite high tuna output, domestic enterprises still have to import about 4,000-5,000 MT of tuna for processing and exports.
Tuna ranked the 3rd among exported seafood items of Vietnam (after shrimp and pangasius).
Frozen tuna fillets of Vietnam are exported to over 100 countries all over the world, with the main markets of the EU, the U.S., Japan, China. However, tuna export turnover is still low, not commensurate with its potential due to low techniques of catching and backward post harvest preservation.
Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development spent VND1,200 billion on the pilot project of tuna production, purchasing, processing, consumption in chain.
If techniques of tuna catching, preserving and processing are improved, the tuna export value tuna will post the positive growth in the coming time.
Compiled by Dieu Thuy