US AND EU INCREASED BUYING CANNED TUNA

According to statistics given by experts at Infofish's recent online tuna market conference, US and EU tuna imports surged in the first months of 2020.

Import

In the first three months of 2020, 28 EU countries imported 239,700 tons of canned tuna, up 22.7% over the same period in 2019. While for the whole year of 2019, EU canned tuna imports increased by only 2% compared to the same period in 2019. with 2018. The EU is still the largest import market for canned tuna in the world.

The top importers of canned tuna in the EU are Spain, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, UK, France, Portugal, Belgium, and Poland. In the first quarter of 2020, canned tuna imports of these markets mostly increased, except for France. Spain, Italy, and France import a large amount of raw material steamed tuna loins to process canned tuna, while other countries import canned tuna for direct consumption.

The US, the world's second-largest tuna import market, imported 55,200 tons in the first quarter of 2020, up 10.4% over the same period in 2019. In this market, canned tuna is benefiting from familiarity with most consumers and from the disruption of beef, pork, and poultry supplies due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Meanwhile, imports of canned tuna from Japan had a more modest growth, 4.1%, reaching 14,400 tons. It can be seen that most markets have had a boom in canned tuna imports in the first 3 months of this year, which is in response to the "panic buying" situation at retail stores. And this import growth trend in all 3 markets was continuing in April and May but has slowed down.

By the end of May 2020, US canned tuna imports increased by 14%, the EU increased by 12%, Japan increased by 3%, imports from Australia, Canada, Russia, New Zealand, and Southeast Asian countries also increased. tends to increase.

In contrast, in the Middle East, the region's imports of canned tuna in the first five months of 2020 decreased 10% in volume and 25% in value terms.

Egypt is currently the largest importer of canned tuna and has import growth in the first 5 months of 2020, up 25% over the same period, reaching 23,000 tons. Egypt currently imports mainly canned tuna meat products.

During this period, imports of canned tuna Saudi Arabia, the second-largest canned tuna import market in the region in the first 5 months of 2020, decreased by 12% over the same period, reaching nearly 14 thousand tons. Thailand and Indonesia are the main sources of canned tuna for this market.

In the United Arab Emirates (UAE), by the end of May, imports of canned tuna of the UAE had slight growth, due to the popularity of canned tuna as a staple food. Weak, ideal for storing at home at the present time.

Meanwhile, Libya, the third largest import market of canned tuna in the Middle East, has the strongest import decline compared to the same period last year, down 47%, reaching nearly 11 thousand tons. According to experts, the main cause of this decline is not due to the Covid-19 pandemic but the exchange rate of the domestic currency and the USD.

Currently, experts are warning about the bullwhip effect that will take place in the Saudi and UAE markets, as inventories in these two markets are decreasing, so it is likely that import demand in These 2 markets will increase.

Export

In the first three months of 2020, the world's largest exporter of canned tuna, Thailand, witnessed an export growth of 4.6% over the same period, reaching 128,200 tons.

Ecuador is the second-largest exporter with a growth rate of 7.5% during this period, while that of the Philippines increased by 20.8% to 22,600 tons.

China's exports of canned tuna have declined slightly, as processing plants were shut down for several months when the first outbreak of the coronavirus occurred.

After the demand for imported canned tuna of the markets soared from mid-February to the end of April, to replenish the empty shelves in a period when people shopped for a pandemic panic,demand decreased from May onwards.

The export growth rate of other countries also slowed down, in particular, Thailand's export increased by 4% in the first 5 months of the year, Ecuador increased by 6%, and the Philippines increased by 16%.

Source: Nguyen Ha - vasep.com.vn