The turnover of Viet Nam’s tuna exports reached US$216 million in the first five months of 2017, a year-on-year rise of 20 per cent.

The strong growth was recorded in canned tuna products (35 per cent) and frozen tuna (11 per cent), reported VASEP.

Viet Nam currently exports tuna to 79 countries and territories across the globe, with the US and EU traditionally being the major markets.

Despite the impressive growth, tuna exports are encountering some difficulties in raw materials and import duties in some key markets.

Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) has proposed the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD)’s Directorate of Fisheries should promote fishing under the purse seines technique.

This will ensure they can meet the future requirements of the industry and the global demand for fish.

VASEP said the advantage of seine fishing lay in not having to use fish aggregation devices, as these have a negative effect on the tuna population, including juvenile tuna.

The association suggested MARD and the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) to soon reach an agreement with the EU on the specific quota for tuna exports to Europe.

It also requested the MoIT consider reducing tariffs on tuna exports to Japan to zero per cent, as Thailand and the Philippines, to improve the competitiveness of the Vietnamese product.

Japan is currently one of the eight largest countries importing tuna from Viet Nam. Since 2013, the country’s tuna imports from Viet Nam have seen a steady decline, dropping it from the third largest importer to the sixth. The key reason for the decline is that Viet Nam’s tuna products bear significantly higher taxes than those of competing exporters in the region such as Thailand and the Philippines. — VNS