Japanese travel and quarantine officials are working with local fruit growers to streamline fresh produce inspection procedures for departing tourists, according to the Japan Times.
The move is aimed at increasing demand for Japanese fruit exports, particularly within the South East Asian region.
“If tourists bring home Japanese farm produce as souvenirs and they are appreciated overseas, export demand will increase,” an official from Japan’s agriculture ministry told the Japan Times.
Under Japanese quarantine regulations any fresh produce exiting the country must be inspected for pests and disease prior to departure. The process can take up to 30 minutes to complete at busy airports, deterring many tourists from carrying fruit home with them.
To help expedite the process, a new service has been launched to allow tourists to purchase fruit and have it inspected while they continue their holiday. The inspected consignments are then available for collection at the airport.
Trial programmes are already being run in Hokkaido and Fukuoka, targeting sales of melons and strawberries to tourists from Thailand and Indonesia.
