The export of tuna, one of Vietnam’s key export aquatic products, is likely to continue rising in the coming months, said the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP).

VASEP said the future increase is largely due to growing demands for tuna in the markets of the US, the European Union (EU), Israel and Canada.

Vietnam’s tuna exports have seen growth in both volume and value as the average price of the product has risen slightly since the beginning of this year, reaching 5.26 USD per kg.

The US remained a large market for Vietnamese tuna exports, buying more than 50 million USD worth of the product in the first quarter, a year-on-year rise of 11 percent. It was followed by the EU, Canada and Israel, with export turnover growth rates ranging between 15.6-54.5 percent.

To improve the product’s competitiveness, the Vietnam Fishing Association is planning to establish a national organisation to oversee the offshore tuna fishing industry.

The organisation is expected to put forward suitable forms of cooperation between fishing vessel owners and exporters to ensure benefits of fishermen.

Earlier, the Phu Yen provincial People’s Committee signed a framework cooperation agreement with Japanese companies to boost the purchase, processing, preservation and export of tuna.

Under the terms of the agreement, the Japanese enterprises will send two frozen ships to semi-process and preserve fresh tunas and transfer advanced fishing technology to local fishermen./.