Exports saw strong growth at the beginning of the year but slowed towards the year-end.
Tuna exports to the European Union accounted for roughly US$140 million , down 11.8 percent year-on-year as a consequence of the EU’s “yellow card” warning issued in October 2017 after the country failed to demonstrate sufficient progress in fighting illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
From the second largest importer of Vietnam’s aquatic products, the EU fell to fifth, behind the US, Japan, the Republic of Korea, and China.
Vietnam has forecast 15-percent growth in tuna shipments in 2020 but in the first months of the year, only slight increases are likely because of the relatively high inventories held by key foreign markets./.
