Vietnamese Tuna Exports to China Up 253 per cent

In 2015, China sourced tuna from 37 countries worldwide with the volume of over 89,000 MT, worth by US$126 million, up 1.3 per cent in volume and down nearly 6 per cent in value compared to 2014.

Tuna imports from Vietnam in 2015 reached more than US$12.5 million, a year-on-year dive of nearly 20 per cent, reports VASEP.

However, in the early 2016, Vietnam’s tuna exports to China reported the strong growth. According to the statistics of Vietnam Customs, the tuna sales in QI/2016 touched nearly US$7 million, up 253 per cent compared to US$2 million in QI/2015.

Thanks to this growth rate, China has surpassed Japan and ranked the 4th in the top 10 leading markets importing tuna from Vietnam.

In the early 2016, China increased imports of tuna fillets/loins from Vietnam on par with the same period last year. Exports of the items from Vietnam to China in QI/2016 registered a year-on-year hike of more than 372 per cent, with nearly US$1.4 million. Meanwhile, exports of canned tuna gained US$383 thousand, down 35 per cent from US$586 thousand in the same period last year.

According to the International Trade Centre (ITC), in recent years, while imports of processed/canned tuna (HS code 16) into China were on the downward trend, imports fresh/live/frozen tuna (HS code 03) recorded the rise.

A soar in Vietnam's tuna exports to China was driven by difficulties in exports to major importing markets (the US, the EU and Japan) that forced Vietnamese enterprises to shift to new and potential market of China. Besides, demand for tuna consumed in China and for producing and re-exporting to Europe by the local companies went up.

In the coming time, China stays as a promising market of Vietnam tuna.