(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In September, Vietnam's tuna exports increased by only 1.4% compared with September 2017, while the growth rate reached 20.4% in August and 2.1% in July, leading to unstable export growth. However, in September, exports of tuna to some markets such as Spain, Canada have spiked.
In September alone, Vietnam exported US$53 million worth of tuna products to the markets, bringing the total export value in the first nine months to nearly US$474 million, increasing by 10.3% over the same period in 2017.
The US
After the recovery in August, Vietnam's tuna export to the US decreased. Tuna exports to this market in September only reached nearly US$19 million, down by 7.2% over the same period. The US-China trade war has created opportunities for Southeast Asian countries such as Vietnam, the Philippines and Thailand to dominate China's market share in this market.
EU
Vietnam's tuna exports to the EU had the tendency to slow down, of which the growth rate from 47% in August fell to 1.3% in September. However, for the first nine months of 2018, tuna exports to the market this year has grown well by 22% over the same period in 2017, reaching US$118 million.
In addition, in September, the tuna export of Vietnam to the individual markets in the EU had many unexpected changes. Specifically, exports to Spain with a sudden growth rate of up to 336% has surpassed the leading position of Germany. Meanwhile, Vietnam's tuna exports to Germany and the Netherlands in September experienced negative growth.
Israel
After the decline in August, tuna exports to Israel in September recovered. The value of tuna exports to this market in September reached US$4.3 million, increasing by 75% compared to September 2017, bringing the total export value in the first nine months to US$53 million, up by 51% over the same period last year. With the increasing trend of consumption, this market is very attractive to Vietnamese enterprises.
ASEAN
Tuna exports to ASEAN continued to grow well. Export value of tuna exports to this market in September increased by 75%, reaching nearly US$6 million, higher than Israel. However, due to the low growth of exports to this market in the recent months, in the first nine months of this year, ASEAN continued to be the fourth largest export market of Vietnam. Among ASEAN countries, Thailand still accounted for the highest proportion of Vietnam's tuna exports. In September, Vietnam's tuna exports to Thailand continued to grow well, reaching 56% with the worth of US$3 million.