According to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), in the first 10 months of 2021, the value of tuna exports to the Middle East reached 57.5 million USD, up 15% over the same period last year.
The Middle East is a potential tuna export market of Vietnam, currently ranked 4th after the US, EU and CPTPP. Currently, Israel, Egypt, and Lebanon are the three largest tuna importers of Vietnam in this market.
Israel is Vietnam’s second-largest single tuna export market after the US, accounting for 6% of the country’s total tuna value in the first 10 months of the year, up 39% over the same period in 2020.
Meanwhile, exports to Egypt declined after a surge last year. In 2019, Vietnam’s tuna exports to Egypt sometimes increased by 3 digits compared to the same period in 2019, including in 2020 exports to this market increased by 63%. However, entering 2021, Vietnamese tuna to this market has stalled. The value of tuna exports in Egypt in the first 10 months of the year decreased by 4% over the same period, reaching nearly 12 million USD, accounting for 20% of the total value of tuna exports to this region.
Along with Egypt, Vietnam’s tuna exports to Lebanon also decreased slightly by 4% over the same period. The export value to this market reached nearly 3.4 million USD, accounting for 6% of the total export value of the Middle East bloc.
In 2021, there are 28 Vietnamese enterprises participating in exporting tuna to the Middle East market.
