Representatives of eight major importers in China, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand were taken on a four-day tour of apple orchards and wholesale markets across Melbourne, the Adelaide Hills and Tasmania.
The Pink Lady promotional tour was run for the second consecutive year as part of a broader strategy between the Victorian Government and Apple and Pear Australia (APAL) to boost apple exports to Asia.
“With domestic consumption declining, our number one priority for the apple industry is exports,” said Claire Fitchett, market development manager for Apple and Pear Australia (APAL). “Due to a high Australian dollar, apple exporters have been out of the game for the last ten to fifteen years.”
Hoping to capture the growing middle-class market in Asia that demands better quality produce, APAL recognises the importance of brands in reaching consumers in Asia. “Pink Lady is in a unique position as one of the few horticultural products that’s branded,” said Fitchett. “And this will likely drive the success of Pink Lady in to Asia.”
Fitchett said there had been plenty of positive feedback from the tour and an estimated 30 containers are set to be shipped to Asia this year, almost triple the volumes of 2013.
With a growing demand for the sweeter tastes of Pink Lady apples in South East Asia, Fitchett is confident demand will rise, “as long as the price is right.”
Due to fruit fly-based quarantine restrictions, China currently only import apples from Tasmania, though delegates from Shanghai Supafresh did attend the tour. Other companies represented included Thailand’s Vachamon Foods and Siam Makro; Singapore’s Sheng Siong and Benelux; and Malaysia’s Chop Top Guan, winner of the 2013 Asia Fruit Award for Importer of the Year.
The delegation visited major apple packing operations including Nine Mile Fresh, Montague Fresh and Lenswood Cooperative.
While the three-year partnership between APAL and the Victorian Government is now in its final year, APAL is hopeful the partnership will continue, with another Pink Lady tour set to go ahead next year.
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