Workers process tuna fillets. Tuna exports are expected to top US$1.1 billion this year, up 45 per cent year-on-year. VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Tuna exports are expected to hit US$1.1 billion this year, up 45 per cent year-on-year, according to the General Department of Customs.

In June, the figure reached $90 million, up 41 per cent compared to the same month last year. The first half of 2022 saw a total export revenue of $553 million, up 56 per cent against the first six months of 2021.

The Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) remarked that rapid growth could be observed in most major markets, except the EU, Israel and Egypt.

Remarkably, tuna exports to the US raked in more than $300 million in late June, nearly double the figures in June 2021.

CPTPP is the third largest importer of Vietnamese tuna, right behind the US and the EU. The value of tuna shipped to the pact’s members hit $68 million, up 50 per cent year-on-year.

Meanwhile, tuna exports to the EU declined steadily over the past three months. Export turnover to the market decreased by 25 per cent in June to roughly $9.5 million.

In the first six months of the year, the EU imported $77 million worth of Vietnamese tuna, up 4 per cent year-on-year.

It is worth noting that tuna exports to Saudi Arabia, Thailand, the Philippines and Russia saw an upward trend.

VASEP forecasts that tuna exports in the second half of the year would continue to rise, but at a slower pace. — VNS