Vietnam tuna exports to Japan increase

According to information from the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), after a continuous decline since the beginning of the year, Vietnam's tuna exports to Japan in the second quarter have seen growth. However, the growth rate only reached the highest level of 21.4% in May and increased by 1% in June, so it was not enough to offset the decline from the first months of the year.

According to VASEP, the total value of tuna exports in the first 6 months of the year from Vietnam to Japan reached more than 13.6 million USD, down nearly 57%. The main reason is the sharp decline in the export of fresh, frozen and dried tuna (except tuna loin) to Japan, down nearly 76%. Currently, only canned tuna products have increased by more than 30% compared to the same period. And this is also the product that is being promoted for export to Japan in May and June. This shows that the quality of tuna after harvest greatly affects the export of tuna products to the Japanese market.

A batch of Binh Dinh tuna successfully auctioned in Japan. Photo provided by Bidifisco

Meanwhile, according to statistics from the International Trade Center, in the first 5 months of 2014, Japan's tuna imports reached nearly 94.8 thousand tons, equivalent to 925 million USD, down nearly 17% in volume and more than 83% in value. Currently, Japan is importing tuna products from more than 46 countries around the world. Of which, Taiwan, Indonesia, China and Thailand are the leading countries in exporting tuna to Japan. Vietnam is currently ranked 19th.

Since late February, the colder weather in Japan has affected the demand for fresh, live and frozen tuna. The demand for red meat fish (bigeye tuna and yellowfin tuna) is currently decreasing, due to the increased supply of bluefin tuna and lower prices compared to previous years. This has caused tuna exports from Asian countries to this country to decrease.

Of which, frozen skipjack tuna loin imports from Japan in the first 5 months of this year, although down more than 4%, are still the main imported product. While imports of this item from Asian countries have mostly decreased, imports from China and Vietnam are increasing. In addition, imports from France and Fiji have also increased sharply. Compared to the top 8 countries exporting this item to Japan, Vietnamese products have good competitive prices.

The first successful auction batch opens up prospects for exporting Vietnamese tuna to the Japanese market. Photo provided by Bidifisco

Most recently, on the afternoon of August 8, Ms. Cao Thi Kim Lan, Director of Binh Dinh Seafood Joint Stock Company (Bidifisco) said that the auction results of the first batch of 9 ocean tuna caught using new technology that took place on the same day in Japan were more successful than expected. The 9 ocean tuna had an average price of 240,000 VND/kg. Of which, the best quality fish was sold for 437,000 VND/kg, the lowest for 50,000 VND/kg. Thus, compared to fish caught using the traditional method currently sold on the domestic market (about 80,000 VND/kg), the average price of fish caught using new technology is 3 times higher.

The auction results of the first batch of 9 tuna caught using new technology exported from Binh Dinh to Japan were 3 times higher than the domestic market, opening up new prospects for fishermen.

According to the Communist Party of Vietnam