Australia’s million-dollar effort to boost fruit exports to Asian market

A high-value Asian market will be the focus of industry and government efforts to boost exports of Australian produce in coming years.

Shifting cultural perceptions and Australia’s reputation as a reliable producer has increased Japanese appetite for Australian oranges, avocados and melons in the past five years.

It comes as the horticulture sector turns to fostering market opportunities in southern Asian nations in the wake of disrupted trade relations with China.

Japan is Australia’s fourth largest horticulture trading partner by value, with the market worth more than $214 million last year.

National Farmers’ Federation horticulture council chair Joylon Burnett said Japan’s appreciation of Australian “clean and green” produce presented an ideal environment for growing export opportunities.

“People got distracted by China,” Mr Burnett said.

“Japan is a market well-disposed to Australian product, and can afford to pay the premium the Australian market requires.”

Mr Burnett said a good example of shifting perceptions in the Japanese market was encouraging Japanese eaters to consume Australian mandarins.

“It took us a while to break down cultural myths that Japanese mandarins were as good as it gets. And we’ve grown different varieties to align with Japanese tastes,” Mr Burnett said.

Myriad factors across fruit lines had seen varying export volumes in the past five years.

Orange exports into Japan have lifted from 33,116 tonnes in 2019 to 36,650 tonnes last year, while melon exports (excluding watermelons) went from a mere 739 tonnes to an impressive 3967 tonnes last year.

“The Australian melon industry has really upped its focus on exports,” Mr Burnett said.

Grape exports in Japan dropped from 11,633 in 2019 to 7678 last year, which Mr Burnett said could be partly attributed to lower production volumes in Australia and shifting market dynamics.

“I know table grapes have particularly been trying to spread their markets in Asia, such as Taiwan,” he said.

AusVeg chief executive Michael Coote said developing and capitalising on the potential of the Japanese export market hinged on building and strengthening relationships.

“There is currently established demand in Japan for a number of Australian horticultural commodities such as citrus, table grapes, melons, and onions,” Mr Coote said.

“...there is great potential to see more and more high-quality, world-class fresh Australian produce available to Japanese consumers.”

Customers gather in a food section of a supermarket in Tokyo on February 27, 2024. PICTURE: Kazuhiro Nogi

The federal government has allocated $475,000 to industry body Hort Innovation to build connections between Australia and Japan.