Vietnamese passionfruit gains access to Australia as part of agricultural market access agreement
Australia and Vietnam have sought to enhance trade between the countries with a new two-way agricultural market access that provides Australian plums to Vietnam and Vietnamese passionfruit to Australia.
Australia’s minister for agriculture, fisheries and forestry, Julie Collins, said the development would provide a further boost to the Australian stonefruit industry which already had access for nectarines and peaches.
“This new market access is a significant milestone for the stone fruit industry and for the Australia-Vietnam trading relationship,” said Collins.
“Accelerating mutual market access outcomes is a reflection of Australia and Vietnam’s strong bilateral relationship and drive to support our agriculture industries to capitalise on export opportunities.”
The next pairing on the trade agenda are Australian blueberries and Vietnamese pomelos, with negotiations well underway, according to the Australian government.
In 2023/24, Vietnam’s plum imports surged by 132 per cent, presenting a prime opportunity for Australian producers to tap into this rapidly growing market.
Hort Innovation chief executive officer Brett Fifield said the achievement follows the groundwork laid by a series of investments delivered through Hort Innovation using industry levies and government funds, driven by the industry’s laser-sharp focus on export.
“The Australian plum industry’s trade-related research and development approach has been targeted and that is paying off,” Fifield said.
“Summerfruit growers have supported trade development activities, export strategies, market intelligence, grower education and promoting Australian summerfruits through successful campaigns in Vietnam.”
Summerfruit Australia chief executive officer Trevor Ranford said Vietnam is an increasingly important market, especially as the country experiences rapid economic growth.
“Australia prides itself on being an innovative producer of fresh sweet stone fruit,” Ranford said.
“The clean environment and ideal climate of our growing areas are perfect for producing high-quality plums that meet the expectations of discerning customers.”
The summerfruit industry has a goal to increase their exports to 40,000 tonnes by 2030. This includes increasing the export tonnes to existing markets, as well as entering new markets such as Vietnam (for plums), New Zealand, the US, Korea and Japan.
Summerfruit Australia Trade Development Manager, Charlotte Brunt, said the industry is gearing up to achieve its export ambitions through a new trade development program funded by grower levies and delivered by Summerfruit Australia.
“Efforts are underway to proactively support the summerfruit industry’s export goals by building our export capability, ensuring continuous improvement in the quality of exported produce, and fostering vital connections and relationships across the supply chain,” Brunt said.
