An increase in tuna exports from Vietnam to Canada has made the northern American country one of the top importers of the aquatic product.

The Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers of Vietnam (VASEP) reported that tuna exports to Canada are experiencing double digit growth.

Since mid June, exports have gone up 384 percent in volume and 107 percent in value from a year ago, while those to other countries have shown negative growth.

With this result, Canada has become Vietnam’s fifth largest buyer of tuna after the United States, the European Union, Japan and Israel.

However, the Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Development (MARD) is worried that due to the global financial crisis and the lack of a trademark for tuna exports, Vietnamese exporters, who are now selling their tuna to intermediaries at low cost, might find it difficult to penetrate into markets.

The export of unprocessed tuna yields a lower profit compared to processed tuna, which is another concern posed by MARD./.