Tuna exports to France rebound in 2025
After a sharp decline in 2024, Vietnam’s tuna exports to France grew strongly in the first half of 2025. Export value reached over USD 1.5 million, up 108% compared to the same period in 2024. According to the International Trade Centre (ITC), France was the 3rd largest tuna importer in the EU in 2024, with a preference for convenient, safe, and sustainably certified products.
Key products include frozen tuna fillets/loins and canned tuna. Among them, Vietnam’s frozen tuna fillet/loin exports recorded a remarkable surge compared to the same period in 2024, with steady shipments to this market in the first six months.
Market trends in 2025
In 2024, France imported about 107,000 tons of tuna, mainly canned products, making it one of the largest tuna-consuming countries in Europe. Average per capita tuna consumption in France is 1.3 kg/year—about half of Malta (3.4 kg/person) but still among the highest in the EU. Demand for canned tuna in France continues to grow thanks to trends toward quick, protein-rich, and healthy meals, particularly driven by brands such as Petit Navire, Saupiquet, and Rio Mare—many of which offer MSC-certified products.
Supply competition
The French tuna market is witnessing intense competition among suppliers. Within the EU, Spain and Portugal dominate as major suppliers of processed products (canned tuna and frozen fillets), benefiting from large-scale processing capacity, short logistics chains, and well-established brands on supermarket shelves.
Among non-EU suppliers, Ecuador remains the leading source, thanks to its powerful fishing fleet and preferential tariffs for exports to the EU, which give its canned tuna products a strong price advantage.
Other suppliers such as Seychelles, Côte d’Ivoire, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam have also been stepping up exports to France in recent years. Vietnam stands out particularly in frozen fillet/loin products and some value-added processed tuna items.
Outlook
In 2025, Vietnamese exporters could further boost exports if they maximize tariff preferences while aligning with Europe’s green standards and sustainable consumption trends. However, to achieve this, the government needs to address challenges related to domestic raw material supply and bottlenecks in the issuance of catch certificates, among others, to better support exporters.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In the first three months of 2026, Vietnam’s exports of fish cake and surimi reached USD 63 million, down 5% compared to the same period last year. Although total export value declined slightly due to decreases in some key markets, many other destinations continued to post strong growth, opening up room for this convenience-oriented processed segment in the coming quarters.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Favorable weather conditions in the early months of 2026 have brought encouraging signs for fisheries activities in Quang Tri. Output has grown steadily, contributing to improved livelihoods for local residents.
Entering 2026, Vietnam’s seafood industry is facing a period of both high expectations and mounting pressures. Following the positive recovery in 2025, production and export activities in Q1/2026 demonstrated the strong adaptability of Vietnam’s seafood business community amid continued global trade volatility, intensifying international competition, and increasingly stringent compliance requirements in import markets.
(vasep.com.vn) In the first quarter of 2026, Vietnam’s shrimp exports reached USD 1.069 billion, up 17.5% compared to the same period in 2025. This is a positive result amid an uneven global shrimp market recovery, intensifying competition among major suppliers, and continued volatility in the international trade environment. However, this growth does not reflect a broad-based recovery across the entire sector, but rather is driven mainly by strong performance in a few markets and specific product segments—most notably lobster exports to China.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s tuna exports continued to decline in March 2026. Cumulatively, in the first three months of the year, export value reached USD 208 million, down 4% compared to the same period in 2025. The export landscape shows clear divergence across markets: while the U.S. and EU remain challenging, markets such as Russia, the Middle East, Egypt, the Philippines, and Mexico have emerged as growth bright spots.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In Quang Ngai Province, shrimp farming costs are rising sharply due to लगातार increases in feed, fuel, and input material prices, while farm-gate shrimp prices are declining. This has significantly reduced farmers’ profit margins and increased production risks.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s tilapia exports are experiencing impressive growth, reflecting expanding global demand as well as the sector’s development potential. However, behind the strong growth figures lie limitations in production capacity and supply chains, highlighting the need for sustainable development in the coming period.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s pangasius exports to the Middle East in 2025 and early 2026 have shown notable growth. However, escalating geopolitical tensions in the region have increasingly impacted export activities since March. This situation presents a challenge of balancing market expansion opportunities with rising trade risks.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) The Quang Tri Department of Agriculture and Environment has instructed localities to base their stocking schedules on actual conditions in each farming area, while developing plans, allocating resources, and implementing synchronized measures for disease prevention and disaster risk management in aquaculture production.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In the first two months of 2026, Vietnam’s exports of fish cakes and surimi exceeded USD 45 million, up 7% compared to the same period in 2025, indicating a positive outlook for this product segment amid recovering demand in many markets.
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