2025 Overview: Strong demand, disrupted imports
According to industry reports, the Middle Eastern market for processed and canned tuna reached around 328,000 tons in 2024, valued at USD 1.3 billion. The region remains a net importer, with Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Israel leading in import value.
However, 2025 has seen major disruptions: tuna imports in most key Middle Eastern markets have dropped sharply.
Data from Vietnam Customs show that Vietnam’s tuna exports to this region fell 23% year-on-year in the first eight months of 2025, totaling nearly USD 60 million. Exports to Israel declined by 48%, Lebanon by 9%, Jordan by 37%, and Saudi Arabia by 63%. These declines were largely due to regional conflicts and higher shipping costs, as maritime routes through the Red Sea became increasingly unstable.
Despite the downturn, there were some bright spots: exports to Egypt surged 141%, and to the UAE rose 16%, providing some balance to the regional picture.
Drivers and challenges: logistics and compliance pressures
One positive aspect for the Middle Eastern tuna market is the continued demand for packaged and canned products, which is expected to grow steadily. Reports suggest that the Middle East & Africa tuna market could achieve higher revenues by 2030.
The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries already represent a tuna market worth USD 862.6 million in 2024. However, future growth is expected to slow as the region transitions from a purely import-dependent model toward developing domestic processing facilities to strengthen local supply chains.
Rising logistics and energy costs, particularly for refrigerated containers, insurance for shipments through the Red Sea, and cold storage operations, remain major pressures. Exporters are therefore compelled to invest more heavily in cold chain infrastructure, transshipment hubs, and traceability systems.
Moreover, growing Halal certification requirements, combined with sustainability and ethical sourcing demands, have increased operational costs and called for stricter quality management systems.
Outlook for 2025 and beyond: modest growth ahead
In 2025, demand for processed tuna, especially canned and pouch products, is expected to continue rising in the Middle East. Vietnam has the opportunity to expand its market share by strengthening exports to Egypt and Saudi Arabia—two strategic markets—while maintaining stable positions in the UAE and Israel.
Globally, tuna imports are projected to reach 1.75–1.8 million tons in 2025, with an estimated value exceeding USD 9 billion. Within the Middle East, forecasts for 2025–2030 indicate modest but steady growth, with the processed tuna market in the Middle East and Africa expected to expand gradually.
By 2035, the regional processed tuna market is forecast to reach around 366,000 tons, worth approximately USD 1.6 billion. Most growth will likely come from Gulf countries, where improvements in infrastructure, strategic import management, and domestic processing capacity are priorities.
Major risks for tuna exporters to this region include continued instability in the Red Sea corridor—which raises transport costs and delivery times—as well as potential trade disruptions if conflicts spread further.
The year 2025 stands out as a testing period for the Middle Eastern tuna market: demand remains strong, but import disruptions and high costs are squeezing profit margins. In the longer term, growth is expected to continue, albeit at a slow and steady pace. Given the decisive role of logistics infrastructure, cold chain management, and compliance with Halal, traceability, and sustainability standards, Vietnamese exporters with flexible strategies and strong risk management will have a competitive edge in navigating this challenging yet opportunity-rich market.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Speaking at the Opening Ceremony of VIETFISH 2026 on August 19 at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center (SECC), U.S. Consul General Melissa Brown highlighted the important role of the exhibition in connecting Vietnam’s growing seafood industry with buyers, suppliers, and partners from the United States and around the world.
(vasep.com.vn) Tomorrow, August 19, 2026, the Vietnam International Seafood Exhibition – Vietfish 2026 will officially open at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center (SECC) in Ho Chi Minh City. Taking place over three days, from August 19–21, Vietfish 2026 promises to provide a dynamic platform for business networking, trend updates, product experiences and comprehensive cooperation across the domestic and international seafood community.
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(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietfish 2026, the Vietnam International Seafood Exhibition, will officially take place from 19–21 August 2026 in Ho Chi Minh City. As Vietnam’s largest annual seafood trade event, organized by the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), Vietfish 2026 will once again bring together leading seafood companies, industry experts, and international partners from across the global seafood value chain.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s seafood exports reached USD 1.1 billion in July 2026, up 4.8% compared to the same period in 2025. Cumulative exports in the first seven months of the year totaled nearly USD 6.86 billion, an increase of 11.5% year-on-year. Exceeding the USD 1 billion mark in July further reinforces the prospect that Vietnam’s seafood exports could surpass USD 12 billion in 2026. However, the July figures also send a clear signal that the most favorable growth period may have passed: overall export growth slowed to just 4.8%, pangasius exports fell 6.1%, tuna exports were virtually flat, while exports to the EU, South Korea, and the Middle East all recorded double-digit declines.
(vasep.com.vn) As part of the Vietnam Fisheries International Exhibition (Vietfish 2026), the seminar "Global Seafood Market and the Future Workforce: Trends, Opportunities, and Sustainable Development Pathways for Vietnam's Seafood Industry" will take place from 2:00 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. on August 19, 2026, at Convention Room B, Level 2, SECC, Ho Chi Minh City. This is the first of five specialized seminars at Vietfish 2026, focusing on key issues that are shaping the long-term development of Vietnam's seafood industry.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnamese seafood exports recorded impressive growth, generating nearly 6 billion USD in revenue during the first six months of the year, up 13% compared with the same period last year.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Fishermen in Ha Tinh are gradually overcoming difficulties to maintain the efficiency of seafood exploitation. In the first six months of 2026, the entire province achieved a production of more than 23,000 tons of seafood, worth more than 1,200 billion VND.
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