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Vietnam’s export of tuna to the Middle East this year has risen by nearly 15 percent year on year, reported the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP).

Accordingly, the region remained the fourth biggest importer of Vietnamese tuna, with Israel, Egypt and Lebanon the biggest buyers.

This year, 28 Vietnamese companies shipped tuna to the Middle East, of which the three leading exporters - Tuna Vietnam, Tan Phat Foods Corporation and Bidifisco - accounted for nearly 60 percent of the total export value to the region.

Seafood companies forecast that once the COVID-19 pandemic is put under control, demand for tuna in the Middle East will bounce back, especially in the United Arab Emirates and Yemen.

Besides the Middle East, Mexico has emerged as a promising market when Vietnam’s shipment of tuna to the country soared by 446 percent year-on-year in October.

Tuna export to China also surged by 85 percent annually to 338,000 USD./.