Tuna products of Vietnam were shipped to 99 markets, of whichthe US, the EU, members of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement forTrans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), Israel, Thailand, Saudi Arabia, Russia, thePhilippines, and Egypt were the largest importers, accounting for 92% of totalexports, according to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters andProducers (VASEP).
Germany,Spain, and Belgium were the biggest EU buyers of Vietnamese tuna. Notably,shipments to Germany and Spain shot up 161% and 117% last December,respectively.
Tuna exports to Japan, a CPTPP member, grew fastin the last quarter of 2022. The value surged 131% year on year in Decemberalone, helping raise the export turnover to CPTPP markets to nearly 136 million USD, up48%.
Meanwhile, strong declines were recorded inshipments to many other markets, VASEP said, noting that after dropping inNovember, tuna exports to the US fell by another 38% in December. However, lastyear’s exports to this market still rose 44% to approximate 487 million USD.
VASEP forecast the export in the first quarter of 2023 willbe unable to sustain its 2022 performance, but markets may recover in thelatter half of this year. Free trade agreements are the driver for tuna exports in theyear’s beginning./.