TUNA EXPORTS TO THE US MARKET INCREASED

The Covid-19 pandemic continues to affect Vietnam’s tuna exports to markets. By the end of April 2020, Vietnam’s total tuna export value reached US $ 196 million, down 16% compared to the same period in 2019. Up to now, Vietnam’s tuna export to the market has not had any sign yet. any brand. effective recovery. However, there are also some good signals from import markets such as Japan and Egypt. Tuna exporters are also trying to expand exports to new markets to offset the decline in traditional markets.

According to statistics of Vietnam Customs, in April 2020, Vietnam’s tuna exports to the US market still decreased 36% compared to the same period in 2019. In the US market, although affected by the pandemic Covid-19, the demand for canned tuna in this market has increased. This has caused Vietnam’s canned tuna exports to the US after a long period of continuous decline, showing signs of growth, up 2% over the same period in 2019. According to statistics from the Agency for Atmospheric and Ocean Nationally, canned tuna exports to the US are on the upward trend compared to the same period in 2019 and have the second highest average price among 10 canned tuna suppliers for this market. .

Similarly, Vietnam’s tuna exports to the EU continued to decline in April. Therefore, the total value of Vietnam’s tuna exports to this market in the first four months of 2020 still decreased by 18% compared to the same period in 2019, reaching nearly 82 million USD. However, it is worth noting that in April, Vietnam’s tuna exports to the two largest tuna importers of Vietnam in the EU, Germany and Italy increased. And like the US and other countries, the demand for canned tuna in the EU countries soared. An outbreak is causing the tuna production plants of EU countries such as Spain, Italy … to be delayed. Moreover, the increasing demand has led to an increase in EU imports of canned tuna from the outside. Currently, Vietnam’s canned tuna exports to the EU also tend to increase compared to the same period in 2019, up 2.7%.

Meanwhile, tuna exports to ASEAN, after falling in March, have grown again. Vietnam’s tuna exports to this market in April increased by 4% compared to the same period in 2019. Notably, tuna exports to the largest importer in the bloc, Thailand, increased by 61%.

Exports to some other major importers, such as Japan and Egypt, continued to increase. By the end of April 2020, Vietnam’s tuna exports to Japan increased by 36% and Egypt increased by 59%. Although the situation of COVID-19 is causing the tuna market to wobble, Vietnam’s tuna exports to these importers are still very positive. Japan is increasing imports of other processed tuna products from Vietnam, especially frozen tuna meat, up 111% over the same period in 2019. Meanwhile, Egypt is increasing imports of fish. Canned tuna from Vietnam.

Currently, the supply of tuna materials in the region has stabilized. At the end of April, transshipment at sea was approved by the countries participating in the Nauru Agreement (PNA) and the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) for regional shipping and fishing vessels. West. and the Pacific Center (WCPO) to keep the supply of raw materials for the regional market so physical difficulties are expected to improve. However, despite the negative impact of the global COVID-19 crisis, the price of live tuna is still higher than the previous year and higher than in other regions, this will reduce competitiveness, making it difficult for businesses.

For the time being, with the COVID-19 pandemic situation at major importers still making worse progress, this is expected to cause the global tuna market to continue to fluctuate. Demand for canned tuna in markets will continue to increase. Due to the effects of the disease, people’s income is also affected, the trend of finding cheap alternatives like canned tuna and pocket tuna will be more common. This will impact tuna import trends in markets in the coming months. Therefore, businesses need to follow the market closely to make appropriate adjustments.