Japanese market going nuts for rare Lockyer pumpkin

A Lockyer Valley farmer has become the first to export 20 tonnes of a special pumpkin direct into Japan.

Minister Mark Furner, Japanese Counsul General in Brisbane Kazunari Tanaka and Qualipac director Troy Qualischefski, at the Qualipac packing sheds. PHOTO: ALI KUCHEL

A LOCKYER Valley farmer has become the first in Australia to grow and export a special type of pumpkin for the Japanese market.

Qualipac, at Crowley Vale, has exported about 20 tonnes of kabocha – a pumpkin with a dry flavour – regularly consumed in Japanese soups.

The project has been three years in the making and is expected to grow in size each year.

Qualipac director Troy Qualischefski hoped to increase production upwards of 500 tonnes from Australian farmers.

“For 20 tonnes, it’s not a lot of extra work, but the Japanese are buying hundreds of thousands of tonnes, so if we can tap into that it would be great,” Mr Qualischefski said.

“This project is probably going to enhance jobs.”

Minister Mark Furner at the Qualipac packing sheds. PHOTO: ALI KUCHEL

He described the kabocha pumpkin as having a dry flavour, and being microwave ready, compared to the Queensland pumpkin, which was sweeter.

It takes the same amount of time as a regular pumpkin to grow, however the Qualipac team were forced to start from scratch with their new project.

“We started from a low base where there wasn’t a lot of information because it’s not grown here,” Mr Qualischefski said.

“It’s been a bit longer than we hoped for to get our first shipment away.”

The successful export during coronavirus added a moral boost to the vegetable farm, especially given the flooded Australian vegetable market.

“It’s wonderful (to export), it’s always exciting to start something new, it keeps staff moral up,” Mr Qualischefski said.

Qualipac has been exporting broccoli to Japan for several years, but Mr Qualischefski said the kabocha pumpkin had huge growth potentials.

Qualipac director Troy Qualischefski with Japanese Counsl General in Brisbane Kazunari Tanaka at the Qualipac packing sheds. PHOTO: ALI KUCHEL

The Lockyer Valley business employs about 120 staff at its farm.

The project was made possible with assistance from the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries and Growing Queensland’s Food Exports program.

Qualipac partnered with growers, the importer Trade and Investment Queensland and the University of Queensland to make the export happen.

Minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries Mark Furner said the Australian-first project demonstrated there were possibilities as the nation moved out of COVID-19.

Japanese Counsul General in Brisbane Kazunari Tanaka. PHOTO: ALI KUCHEL

“We’re in a market now of $108 million of putting Kabocha into supermarket stores in Tokyo,” he said.

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“New export opportunities like this one can only be good for jobs and the long-term growth of our agricultural sector.”

Kazunari Tanaka, the Japanese Consul General in Brisbane said Japanese people were conscious of quality, taste, safety and affordability.

He said Qualipac’s pumpkin ticked the boxes.

“I hope the net market in Japan will continue to grow – this pumpkin has everything,” he said.

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