Phu Yen gets help to lift tuna exports

The central coastal province of Phu Yen is hoping to signficantly increase its tuna exports following a co-operation agreement signed with Japanese companies.

Provincial authorities inked the agreement with four Japanese companies on Thursday under which both sides will co-operate on purchasing, processing and exporting tuna to overseas markets.

The four Japanese firms are Rakuichi Broadband Solution, I-Point, Sokurakuhonpo and At Work.

Under the agreement, a joint venture between the Japanese companies and firms in the province will be established by the third quarter of this year.

The most important part of the agreement is that both sides will build a trademark for tuna from the province and promote it in overseas markets.

Phu Yen is the first province in the country to develop tuna fishing since the early 1990s. However, the province with a 190-km coastline did not have a proper strategy to take advantage of being the pioneer. It lets Khanh Hoa, its neighbouring coastal province, surpass it in exporting its tuna fish.

Khanh Hoa now has a single market where tuna fishermen can sell their products at best prices, similar to those in Japan and South Korea. Phu Yen does not have such a market and its fishermen face price manipulation by private companies who export their products.

There are more than 690 boats and ships in the province that fish for tuna, netting about 5,000 tonnes every year. Only 60-70 per cent of this catch is deemed to be of export quality. Their main export markets are Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong and the US.

The joint venture is expected to help boost the quality of tuna caught by Phu Yen fishermen with advanced technology and knowhow introduced by the Japanese companies.

The Japanese side will also bring in two ships with freezer facilities for primary processing and preservation of the tuna. They will also provide food, fuel and necessities to the fishermen working for a long time in the sea.

The Japanese companies have agreed to train and transfer advanced fishing technology to local fishermen.

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