Five-month tuna exports to Italy triple

May alone saw tuna exports to the demanding market increase by 224% to more than US$4 million on-year.

Most notably, fresh, frozen and dried tuna exports accounted for 64% of Italy’s total export turnover, followed by canned tuna.

According to statistics released by Eurostat, Vietnam was the largest supplier of fresh, frozen and dried tuna for Italy in the reviewed period, higher than both the Philippines and Indonesia.

Meanwhile, the country also makes up the seventh largest provider of canned tuna for Italy, after Indonesia, Ecuador, China, the Solomon Islands, Colombia, and Seychelles.

There are currently about eight Vietnamese enterprises exporting tuna products to this market. Of which, Yueh Chyang Canned Food and Mariso Vietnam are the two companies whose products make up 86% of total export turnover.

According to industry insiders, preferential tariff incentives set out under the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) have created favourable conditions for Vietnamese tuna products in the Italian market.

If the "bottlenecks" in raw materials are removed, then Vietnamese enterprises will be able to enjoy a wealth of opportunities to boost exports to the Southern European country moving forward.