MOSCOW: The escalating tensions between Thailand and Cambodia could cause a serious shortage of canned tuna due to Thailand’s dominant position in this market, according to RIA Novosti’s analysis of Thai Tuna Industry Association data.
In 2023, global exports of canned tuna totalled 1.6 million tonnes, with Thailand accounting for a dominant 28 per cent of that volume. Ecuador, the second-largest exporter, held just a 14 per cent share, followed by China at 9 per cent. Thailand’s canned tuna exports surged by 30 per cent in 2024, reaching 580,000 tonnes, up from 445,000 tonnes a year earlier.
The United States is the largest consumer of Thai canned tuna, accounting for 21 per cent of purchases, followed by Japan, Australia, and Libya (7 per cent each), and Saudi Arabia (6 per cent).
According to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation, Thailand also controls around 8 per cent of the global tuna trade (both fresh and processed), trailing Ecuador (12 per cent), China (11 per cent), and Indonesia (8.5 per cent).
According to RIA Novosti’s analysis of UN Comtrade data, a disruption in trade due to the Thai-Cambodian conflict could also impact the global pet food market, as Thailand was the world’s second-largest exporter of pet food in 2024, with US$2.7 billion worth of shipments or just over 10 per cent of the global total. Only Germany exported more, with exports totaling US$3.3 billion.
The United States was the top buyer of Thai pet food, accounting for nearly one-third of Thailand’s exports. Other major importers included Japan (12 per cent), Australia and Italy (6 per cent each), Malaysia (5 per cent), and the Philippines and Germany (4 per cent each).
Thailand’s presence in the Russian pet food market remains minimal, with imports totaling just US$4.9 million last year. In March 2024, Russia’s Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Supervision banned six Thai enterprises from the Russian market.
The long-standing dispute between Thailand and Cambodia over the 11th-century Preah Vihear Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage site, escalated Thursday. Following weeks of heightened tensions from landmine incidents and subsequent mutual diplomatic expulsions, heavy artillery and rocket attacks erupted near border temples. Al Jazeera reported, citing the Thai Health Ministry, that bombing and shelling had killed at least 11 civilians and a soldier in Thailand. The authorities of four Thai provinces bordering Cambodia have announced the evacuation of residents amid the escalation, The Nation newspaper reported. - Bernama, Sputnik/RIA Novosti
